


Castaways

by Fanfic_or_bust



Category: Runaways (Comics), Runaways (TV 2017), gertchase
Genre: Danger, Desert Island, Desert Island Gertchase, Eventual Sex, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, I hope you like it, I love Island Gertchase, I suck at tags, I'm delerious from editing such a long fic, Keeping each other warm, Relationship Fixing, Surviving together, The epic is finally complete!, bed sharing, enjoy, getting closer, nursing back to health, this fic contains my blood sweat and tears
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-29
Updated: 2018-03-30
Packaged: 2019-04-14 14:45:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 38,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14138235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fanfic_or_bust/pseuds/Fanfic_or_bust
Summary: When Nico told Gert and Chase to go somewhere alone to work their shit out, she did NOT mean to magically teleport them half way across the world to a desert island! That part was a TOTAL mistake.Can Gert and Chase survive alone together long enough to be rescued? Will they kill each other before they get off this island, or maybe, fall in love in the process?





	1. Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> Wow, okay here we go guys! This fic is the product of my blood, sweat, and tears, and I'm so incredibly excited to finally be posting it! I can't wait to hear what you think :)
> 
> Just a note before getting started: This is a completed fic, and it's about 38,000 words, but I'm still editing it and in an effort to release it sooner in the editing process I'm going to post it in four chapters. That might make it a little more digestible, too. They should all be up by the end of today or by tomorrow at the latest, so if you enjoy this check back soon for updates!
> 
> And a MASSIVE thank you to @Rowansdagger on tumblr for making the gorgeous edit providing a perfect aesthetic for this story. I'm obsessed!

 

              Nico didn’t mean to do it. She _swears_ she didn’t mean to do it. _Shit. Shit!_ She’d forgotten she’d been holding the staff. It was a mistake. That’s all it was. It was an awful, _awful_ mistake. And it was Gert and Chase’s fault, _really._ Because if they hadn’t been acting like such idiots around each other and just _talked it out_ , she wouldn’t be so annoyed with them and she wouldn’t have snapped and told them to ‘Go somewhere alone and work their shit out.’

              Her mistake had been that her staff was active when she said it, she’d been practicing in the living room when they’d passed by, bickering about something stupid. Because that’s all they could do, since the night at the dance. Either be totally awkward around each other making it weird for everyone, or _fight with each other._ And it was driving Nico crazy. Especially because she knew they both liked each other, but they were just too stupid to figure it out.

              So she’d told them to go somewhere alone, and the staff had taken it literally. The moment she’d finished speaking, they’d just… vanished. There hadn’t been a flash of light or a puff of smoke, no sound effects or dramatics. They’d just disappeared. Nico had blinked at first, not really believing what her eyes were telling her. They were gone. Without a trace. Nico had sent them… somewhere. She hoped. Because the other alternative was that they were really, _really_ just gone. Like, dead-gone. Or, wiped-from-existence-gone.

              Nico’s stomach sank. This was _their_ fault! They’d been driving her crazy! Except, it was actually completely and utterly _her_ fault. The staff was more dangerous than a loaded gun, no amount of annoying behaviour could justify using it on her friends, even if it _was_ a mistake. And now they were gone and it was her fault. How was she going to fix this? How was she going to get them back? _Could_ she get them back? _Were they dead?_ No! _No no no no no no no…_

              Nico’s mind raced as she stood there, still dumbly blinking at the spot the two clueless lovebirds had been standing when they’d disappeared, when she was interrupted by the angry roar of Old Lace, who’d come rushing into the room, surprising Nico. “Aaarrgh!” Nico had screamed in an unattractive way, but it seemed like the shock kick started her brain again and she suddenly felt her spirits rise as a wave of relief washed over her.

              Old Lace was alive! She was alive! So that meant _Gert_ was alive! And that meant _Chase_ was alive… probably. It would only make sense, she reasoned. She wanted to cry she was so relieved, and her mind was already switching gears to start figuring out how to get them _back_ when she realized she’d been a little quick to celebrate. Because across from her, Old Lace _growled_ and snorted out a harsh burst of air. And then Nico remembered.

              She lived with a _deinonychus._ And she’d just zapped the only person that could control it half-way across the planet, for all she knew. _And it looked really, really pissed off._

              Shit.

 

 

 

 

              “And what’s _that_ … supposed to… mean…” Gert shouted, rounding on Nico, but she trailed off towards the end, her anger fading quickly to bewilderment as she blinked in confusion. It was suddenly _very bright._ And _hot._ A warm breeze blew past her, and Gert could smell and taste salt in the air. What… the hell. But despite all of the sensory information she had to run with, the hot sand under her feet, the sound of the lapping waves, her brain _refused_ to process what the _fuck_ was happening.

              “Uhhh… Gert?” Chase asked from beside her, but her brain still didn’t want to function.

              “Shut up.” She snapped.

              “But—“

              “It’s not real, shut up!” She interrupted, turning on him, intending to turn this rising panic into anger directed at him, but she _definitely_ felt the sand give way under her feet as she did. And suddenly she _knew._ It was real. This place… wherever it was… it was real. She just really, _really_ didn’t want it to be.

Gert felt her heartrate speed up and she could literally feel the panic seep out of her endocrine system as it permeated every inch of her body. And she did _not_ appreciate how infuriatingly _calm_ Chase seemed. In fact, he was looking at her with a raised eyebrow, like he was thinking of telling her how wrong she was. That this place _was obviously_ real.

              But he didn’t have to. The second his eyes met hers and he saw the look on her face, the smugness washed away, and his eyebrows knitted together in concern, his full lips pulling down into a frown. “Gert…” He whispered as he looked at her with heartbreak in his eyes, but the word was washed away by the sound of wind blowing through palm trees, and waves breaking on the shore. She looked at him with wide, watery eyes, frozen, as the reality sunk in, and she supposed she must have looked pretty pathetic because he moved then, pulling her into a tight hug, his strong arms wrapping around her protectively. One hand held the back of her head firmly to his chest, while the other pulled her body against his.

              The firmness of which he held her was exactly what she needed. It was comforting and protective, it grounded her and made her feel, even if just for the moment… safe. She needed it so much that she didn’t even think about the fact that this was _Chase._ Chase who she hadn’t been able to talk to properly for weeks, let alone _touch,_ since… and she was currently nuzzling her face into his chest without shame. But she gave herself a pass because she’d been magically transported to some fucking _island_ and they had no supplies or food, and she was _freaking out._ So she pressed herself against him and let him center her, getting as close as she possibly could, pressing her ear against his heart to try to hear the calming beat, hoping it would help to steady her own.

              After a minute or two, Chase spoke, but he didn’t loosen his arms or pull away. “It’s okay…” He soothed into the top of her head, his lips moving against her hair. And it suddenly occurred to her how intimate and _welcome_ it felt, but this was _not_ the time for that. So she forced it from her mind, and pulled away from him finally.

              “This is the _opposite_ of okay, Chase.” She replied, and he nodded reluctantly.

              “Okay, so it’s not _great._ ” He agreed, but he was still holding back, and suddenly Gert felt annoyed. She knew he was trying to be positive so she’d stop freaking out, but she was freaking out _for good reason_ , and she’d really appreciate it if he’d just validate that for her right now.

              “Not great, Chase are you serious!?” She snapped back. “Look around! Tell me, if this is what _not great_ looks like, then what does _really fucking bad_ look like then!?” She added, gesturing widely with her arms. When he hesitated to answer, she followed up with a question that suddenly burned inside her. “How can you be so calm!?” She screeched, and she really wanted to know the answer to that, so she stopped yelling and looked at him with bared teeth and wide eyes filled with worry, looking to him for answers.

              “I’m not! I’m not calm, okay? How can I be calm? One second we were in our living room and the next--” He answered back in a yell, gesturing widely with his arm, and Gert felt her heart sink a little bit. But at the same time, she preferred when he was honest with her, so that felt good at least. But she didn’t like the way his face fell as he admitted it. “But Nico did this to us—“

              “Remind me to have a _serious_ discussion with her about staff safety!” Gert cut in.

              “—And she’s going to fix it.” He finished, ignoring her interruption. His expression changed from scared to resolute, and confident, and despite herself, Gert felt her hopes rise.

              “You think?”

              “Well yeah, I mean… she’s probably just trying to figure out what spell to use.” He reasoned, and Gert felt her eyebrows raise as she considered this. It was a very good point.

              “Un-do last spell.” She said after a moment, thinking of a good spell idea.

              “That would work, right?” Chase agreed. “How about ‘Find Gert and Chase’?”

              “No because who knows where we are, that might just be like that tracking spell Nico used that night she stole the staff. It would take them forever.” She replied, and Chase nodded with pursed lips.

              “Okay then, ‘retrieve Gert and Chase’.” He tried, and now Gert nodded.

              “That would work.” Now she was nodding more firmly. “That would work. This will probably just take a few minutes, we could pop back into the hostel at any second… right?” She asked, hopeful, and Chase nodded next to her enthusiastically. And then he looked around, his eyes squinting in the sunlight, and with her spirits on the rise, Gert couldn’t help but notice how impossibly handsome he looked. Like some sort of male model, effortlessly posing for a beach photoshoot. She felt herself swoon and her stomach sink at the same time, because how could anyone as beautiful as _him_ be intended for someone as plain as _her_?

              “You know, this place is beautiful.” He said after a moment, and Gert realized she’d been staring at _him_ rather than the tropical paradise around her, and she hoped he would attribute her blush to the heat and not to embarrassment. But now that he mentioned it and she looked around… it was truly magical. The beach stretched about a mile or two long, it was hard to tell, and it was broken by a large outcrop of rocks on the one end, and tight tropical forest at the other. Behind them, the white sand gently sloped up and eventually there was at first a thin smattering of palm trees that got closer together and denser farther back.

              Now that she was sure they’d be rescued at any minute, she allowed herself to appreciate how beautiful it really was. But it was also remote. There didn’t seem to be any sign of people, and she’d wager anything to bet this was an entirely deserted island, based on Nico’s wording of her spell. Gert knew she didn’t mean to do it. And she should really be more careful. But she wasn’t going to be mad, as long as she was rescued soon. Because as long as she wasn’t staying, this was a pretty wonderful place to visit. Maybe Nico should take them on vacation more often? Alex could really use one, she thought to herself as her eyes scanned over the ocean before her.

              “Yeah… oh look!” Gert pointed, her face lighting up as a smile stretched from ear to ear as she pointed out at the water. “Dolphins!”

              Chase turned to look, and he smiled as he saw them. “They look different than the ones at home.” He said after a moment, and Gert saw that he was right.

              “We must be really far away…” She remarked, and she knew her voice quivered with nervousness towards the end, her excitement giving way to anxiety, because she’d never actually _been_ anywhere overseas before, and the reality was suddenly setting in that this was her first time away from the western portion of North America. Away from home. Dale and Stacey had always left her and Molly behind when they went on their expeditions, because they knew the idea made Gert nervous.

Chase must have noticed, because she felt his arm wrap around her shoulders and he pulled her to his side. And yes this was the most contact they’d had since they’d slept beside each other in that stolen Gibborim van the night they’d run away, but she was still allowing it. Because circumstances seemed to dictate that to be the right call. She needed the support. And as reluctant as she usually was to accept help, she really could use it right now.

              “Hey, let’s sit down… we can watch the water and wait for Nico to zap us back home.” He suggested gently, and she nodded, so she lowered herself down to sit in the sand next to Chase, who kept his arm around her. But she wasn’t reading anything into that. He was just comforting her, because that’s what any half-decent person would do. It didn’t mean he _liked_ her. And if she enjoyed the closeness, well… whatever.

              “The sand is really hot… do you want to move to the shade?” Chase asked, but she shook her head. He was right, it was burning, almost scorching hot. She felt it cooking her alive, actually, and the warm humid air gave no relief. But she didn’t want to move.

              “No, why bother. Any second now…” She replied, trailing off as she moved her eyes from Chase’s face back out to the ocean. It was so… _vast._ She felt herself getting sucked away from shore as she stared out into the never-ending stretch of turquoise. She had to believe it was true. She had to. Because if it wasn’t, they were stuck there. So she refused to move. She refused to make herself more comfortable. Because that was tantamount to accepting that they _weren’t_ getting rescued.

              Because if help didn’t come quickly, it wasn’t going to come for a _long time._ If at all. But she refused to think of that. So instead, she just stared out at the ocean, trying to calm herself in the beauty of it all, and she _waited._ “Any second now…”

 

 

 

 

              Chase was starting to worry. The sun had begun to set over half an hour ago, and he had finally reluctantly left Gert’s side. Because it was clear to him. They weren’t going to be rescued. Not today at least. But Gert refused to give up, she refused to believe that they were _stuck_ here. He had a feeling if she did, she might unravel. Because if they didn’t have her anxiety medication at the hostel, they _certainly_ didn’t have it on a desert island. Add to that any food, shelter, or potable water and they were truly, royally _fucked._ So she kind of had a point. But he had to stay strong, for Gert. Even if he was starting to freak out himself, he couldn’t let her know.

              So he let her continue to sit there as the sky turned from light blue to a stunning red orange, to a beautiful periwinkle, and settling into a darkening indigo as stars started to appear, and he took it upon himself to scope out where they might sleep tonight. Because he thought it was going to come to that. As the sun settled low on the horizon, sinking down into the ocean across from them, he came to understand that. They were spending the night on the island. And beyond tonight? Who knew?

              The bad news was there wasn’t any immediately obvious places to set up camp. Not within eyesight of Gert, at least. And he refused to let her out of his sight. He was leaving her be for now, but tomorrow, he was going to need to go exploring. He was going to need to source some water, and check out any potential food sources. And then there was fire, and shelter… he tried not to let it overwhelm him, and to focus on the task at hand. They needed somewhere to sleep tonight, and it couldn’t be on the beach.

              The tide was already coming in. The water was almost up to Gert’s feet, she’d have to move any minute if she didn’t want to get wet. And with the way the temperature was plummeting since the sun went down, he really didn’t think getting wet would be a good idea. He’d prefer if she not go hypothermic on top of all of their other problems right now.

              There weren’t many options, so he did the best he could. He thought he could recognize the line that represented where the tide usually maxed out, it was just before the sand stopped sloping upwards and it crested to a sort of plateau. So he began clearing an area just beyond where the palm trees started growing, but where they were still far enough apart, and soft sand separated them. When he was done clearing and the sand was as debris-free as he thought he could get it, he started collecting palm-fronds to lay on the ground as a bed.

              When he was done, he had to admit, it wasn’t ideal. But it was a heck of a lot better than nothing. He laid down on it, to test, and it was serviceable. He’d work out something more permanent tomorrow. But for now… he looked up and saw the stars were visible above him between the sparsely grown palm trees, and he could already see more through the trees, at this early hour of the evening than would ever fill the Los Angeles sky, on even the darkest nights. And he tried not to think of the fact that he would be sleeping under the stars with Gert. He tried to ignore the way his stomach did backflips and he felt like he wanted to float away at the thought, because that was inappropriate right now. With all the things they had to worry about, including Gert’s anxiety, it was the wrong thing to be thinking about.

              And yet, the thought was there. Gert and Chase had a history under the stars, he couldn’t help but have his mind go there. Their first kiss had been under a clear night sky, stargazing, in seventh grade. It was one of Chase’s most special, most reflected-upon memories. And ever since then, every time he looked up at a night sky, he thought of her. So it was hard not to think of _her_ , now, and to anticipate the closeness. Because the fact that he’d gone along with her stupid ‘one-time-thing’ pronouncement, and he’d been arguing with her for the past two weeks (Alex called it unbearable sexual tension, before Chase had punched him in the arm), Chase was way too far down the rabbit hole with his romantic feelings to deny them to himself.

              Did he love her? Chase really didn’t have anything to compare it to, no healthy frame of reference, so he couldn’t be sure. But he thought he did. Because he knew he’d die for her, if he had to. Even though she didn’t want to be with him. That wouldn’t even be a factor in his decision. So if that wasn’t love, what was? Although, if he was being honest, he’d probably do that for just about any one of his friends. But he’d _especially_ do it for Gert. She was always separate in his mind, more special, more precious.

              Not that he’d let her know it much recently. God, he was an asshole. And an idiot. But it seemed to be the only way Gert would talk to him at all, if he annoyed her into yelling at him. And then he’d yell back just so he could interact with her. Because things had been unbearably awkward otherwise. He’d ruined everything that night at the dance, and if he could take it back he would. Which was awful to think of, because until she’d told him it was a mistake, a one-time-thing, it had been the best night of Chase’s entire life.

              The single best thing that had ever happened to Chase also happened to be the single worst thing to happen to him, because it seemed to have shoved this wedge between him and Gert that he didn’t know how to remove. And their relationship was worth more than sex. So he regretted it, and even now he kept his eyes on the sky looking for a shooting star to wish it away, make it so it never happened. Because he just wanted his Gert back.

              After a few minutes of quiet contemplation, Chase began to worry about the rising tide and how Gert was out there in the darkening evening, alone. He’d hoped she’d come join him on her own, but she must be really upset. And now that the bed was done, he could go back to worrying about her. So he went to go get her, and found that she was sitting a little higher up the sloping beach than she was before, and he thought she might be moving back inch-by-inch as the tide pushed her away a little bit at a time.

              He sat down quietly next to her, but she didn’t turn to look at him. Her eyes were fixed on the horizon, so Chase pulled his eyes off of her face and looked out with her. There was nothing there, but it was beautiful. The ocean had changed from turquoise to sapphire, with the waves reflecting the moon and stars, flashes of light mesmerizing to watch. He sat so close to her, he could feel the heat from her body in the now cool night air. And if this were any other circumstance, it would be romantic. But he knew how worried she was, and with good reason, so he pushed that feeling aside in favour of concern for Gert.

              “She didn’t rescue us.” Gert said finally, and Chase sighed, and his eyes sank from the horizon to his feet before he looked over at her.

              “Yeah. Are you okay?” He asked, and she finally pulled her eyes away from the water and looked at him. And she didn’t really look okay. She looked confused, and scared, and fuck all he wanted to do was hug her. Would she like that? Would she be okay with that? Thankfully, he got his answer quickly when she leaned over and rested her head on his shoulder. Chase ignored the wave of butterflies that fluttered through his chest making him almost dizzy, because again, it wasn’t the time for that, and he wrapped his arm around her pulling her closer.

              But then a wave lapped up the shore and hit the toe of his boot, and he knew they’d have to move quickly. “Hey, why don’t you come up to bed, the tide’s coming up quickly.” He said in what he hoped was a soothing voice. She lifted her head and looked at him with a skeptically raised eyebrow, and he smiled because it was the most _Gert_ he’d seen her be since they’d been marooned here a few hours ago. She’d been so broken, but now her expression said she was sassy and ready to put him in his place, so how could he help but smile?

              “Bed? Chase we don’t have a bed here, we don’t have _anything_.” She argued, and Chase rolled his eyes at her, if for no other reason than to get a rise from her. Because he reasoned if he kept her sassy and annoyed at him, it would help her not to be sad or scared.

              “Okay, come to the pile of palm leaves I laid on the ground for us, unless you want to go for an evening swim?” He retorted, and as if to accentuate his point, another wave lapped in and this time it got Gert’s foot wet. She was wearing sandals on bare feet, and Chase made a mental note to take his socks off to share with her when they got to bed. It was already getting cold enough to send shivers down his back, he worried about the night to come, how much further the temperature would drop. His mind moved to building a fire, and a proper shelter. But it was too late tonight.

              “Alright, alright, I see your point. I just… I didn’t want…” She said, stumbling to articulate her worries. But Chase knew what she was going to say. He didn’t know how he did, but it was like they had this connection and he just _understood_ her.

              “You didn’t want to accept this was real, I know.” He said gently, and she looked at him and nodded.

              “It’s just… we’d be back by now. If she could—“ Her voice got tighter as she spoke and it looked like she was going to cry so Chase pulled her in for another hug. But the water was still coming in, so he stood up with a groan and extended a hand to help Gert get up. She’d been sitting for hours, so he imagined she’d be very stiff, and she was. They walked slowly up the beach to the bed he’d set up in silence.

When they arrived, she regarded it, and Chase felt his stomach flip nervously as he worried she’d hate it. He knew it wasn’t much. It wasn’t even a fraction as nice as the shelter he was already planning in his head. But he’d cleaned it up the best he could, because he knew _she’d_ be sleeping there and she deserved the best he could do for her.

He’d been holding his breath, waiting for her to say something, but he exhaled in relief as he saw a beautiful smile spread on her face. “You did all this, already?” She asked in wonder, turning to him with eyes that shone in the starlight, even under her glasses. “Chase this is… impressive.” She added, and Chase wondered if he was glowing in the dark with pride.

“It’s nothing… not compared to what I plan—“ But he cut himself off, his eyes widening in regret. He didn’t want to say the wrong thing, to be the reason Gert stopped smiling. He knew she was probably still hoping they’d be rescued soon, and might not like hearing about his plans to build a shelter. Because for some reason, Chase had an idea that they’d be here for a while. Call it a gut instinct. But he didn’t want to burden Gert with that. Luckily, she seemed to let it roll off her back and she smiled back at him.

“I can only imagine what mad scientist-slash-inventor Chase Stein will come up with stuck on a desert island.” She laughed as she teased him, reaching out to elbow him lightly in jest, and he blushed under the moonlight and felt his dimples pull in as he smiled back at her. “We’ll probably have coconut telephones and monkey butlers within the week.” She added, and he laughed out loud and smiled so easily, it didn’t even occur to him that this was the most natural, genuine interaction they’d had in weeks. It just felt so right, it made him feel temporarily like things hadn’t been so awkward with them. Like they were Chase and Gert again.

“Just one monkey butler at first, but he’ll train others.” He laughed, finishing the joke and he elbowed her back. “And yeah, I may have a few plans.” He added, but she was still chuckling. And it felt so right that he draped his arm around her shoulder casually. He felt her tense only for an instant before she relaxed and that knowledge warmed him up inside almost as much as her body heat was doing at his side.

“I have complete faith in you, I think I’m in very good hands.” She said, making him smile, but then when she finished she froze, her body tensing and she snapped her head to look at him with wide eyes. “I mean, not _your_ hands, like, literally, I meant in _general_ , like the saying…” She stammered, and Chase chuckled, but suddenly became _very_ aware of the arm he’d put around her. How had that happened? Holy shit he hoped it didn’t make her uncomfortable.

He supposed he’d gone too long thinking and not talking, because Gert continued to fill the awkwardness. “So…” She said, looking down at the bed, and then up at him. He hesitantly lowered his arm from around her, and he felt the biting cool of the night reclaim him immediately, and felt a little bad as Gert pulled her arms up to wrap around herself. “One bed, huh?” She asked, looking from the bed, to him.

“Yeah, well…” He started, holding one hand up to rub the back of his head in a nervous way. “It was the best I could do short notice.” He added, but it wasn’t the whole truth. There was a whole host of reasons he felt they should be sleeping together out here. Safety was a big one, and practicality, and even if it made his stomach flip and flop in nervous anticipation he also knew they may need each other for warmth. But there was also that undeniable other truth. That he just _wanted_ to sleep with her, plain and simple. And despite all the awfulness of their current situation, the very clear and present danger of it all, he couldn’t seem to shake the grateful excited feeling that this was the perfect opportunity to get close with Gert again.

He knew he should be worried about other things, but he couldn’t help but keep coming back to the one huge positive about all of this… that he was with her. And yes he wanted to sleep with her. Sue him. “If you want, I can sleep on the beach tonight…” He added though, just in case. He wanted her to be comfortable. But thankfully her eyes went wide and she was vehemently shaking her head.

“No!” She said forcefully, but then she cleared her throat nervously and took it down a notch. “No, I mean, that’s totally fine. I’d—I’d rather you stay with me.” She added nervously, and she pushed a strand of hair behind her ear and gave him a sideways glance and shy smile, and he felt himself melt in reply.

“Good.” He said, but then immediately regretted it. “I mean, not good, but—yeah, that’s ok.” He added, though after he’d spoken he thought he’d probably made it worse than before. Jesus, why did he lose all his cool around Gert? He’d never stammered like an idiot in front of Eiffel or any of the other bitchy girls. It was only since that night at the dance. Before then, banter and conversation had come easy. But since that night there was a tension, and Chase felt like he was on eggshells around her at all times.

“So, should we--?” Gert asked, motioning towards the makeshift bed.

“I mean, it’s probably too dark to get anything else done, right?” He asked.

“I don’t need you to get eaten by the smoke monster, I think you’ve done enough for the night.” She answered, and he laughed, suddenly taken back in time to those days and weeks they’d spent binging Lost when they were thirteen. And with that, Gert laid down, testing the fronds before committing. He looked at her, laying down before him, and tried to ignore the rush of blood that flooded to… parts of him… because okay maybe he’s seen her from this angle in a dream or two, or three hundred, over the years. He’d had a resurgence of them lately, of course, especially since that night at the dance. It was all he could think of, actually. But he _really_ needed to _not_ have a boner right now, so he did his level best to force the memories of the dreams from his mind. “Not bad.” She said, looking up at him, and then she patted the space beside her. “Come on, Stein, take a load off. You deserve it.” She said, and he smiled and lowered himself to the ground beside her.

“It really wasn’t much.” He replied as he settled about six inches away from her on his back, his arms folded under his head as he looked up at the stars.

“Well it’s better than nothing, how about that?” Gert asked, reaching over to poke him in the ribs, and he laughed, pulling an arm down to protect himself.

“Okay, it’s better than nothing.” He agreed. “But you haven’t seen anything yet.” He added, and she smiled.

“Monkey butlers.” She replied, with a smile, and it was radiant even without the light of day to brighten it.

“Something like that.” He replied, and there was an easy silence that followed, as Gert rolled onto her back and began gazing up at the stars.

“I’ve never seen so many.” She said after a few minutes, and her voice was breathless and full of awe. Chase looked over at her, his eyes running over her silhouette, pausing at her nose, her lips, her breasts.

“Beautiful.” He breathed in agreement, but he wasn’t talking about the stars. Gert didn’t know that, though, and she hummed her agreement.

They were quiet for a while after that, both of them looking up at the sky, not really knowing what to say. Chase didn’t want to make anything worse, and he had a habit of saying the wrong things, so he thought he’d give Gert some peace and quiet instead. She seemed lost in thought, anyways, as she looked up at the night sky. Only the slightest of frowns gave away the worry that he knew was starting to bubble up inside of her again.

“Do you think it’s going to be long, before they find us?” She asked eventually, rolling over onto her side to look at Chase. She folded one arm under her head, and the other played with a palm frond between them nervously. Chase did the same, rolling to face her, wanting to look her in the eye. Well, as best as he could in the darkening night.

“You want honesty, right?” He asked, hesitantly. He thought he knew her well enough that she wouldn’t appreciate placating bullshit, and she didn’t like to be treated like she was _totally_ made of glass, but he still wanted to make sure.

“Always. I can take it.” She said boldly, but there was a quiver to her voice betraying her nervousness.

“Then I’m not sure.” He replied, and Gert rolled her eyes.

“That’s not an answer.” She moaned, reaching out across the few inches separating them to push at his chest. He laughed softly and smiled at her in apology as he shrugged.

“I’m sorry, but it’s all I’ve got. But I’ve been thinking about it—“

“Whoa, be careful with that, you might pull a muscle.” She interjected, teasing like she always does, and he scowled in response.

“Hey, even I have good ideas sometimes.” He replied defensively, but he hoped good-naturedly, and she smirked.

“Okay so lay it on me, what have you been thinking about?” She asked, and the way she kept eye contact with him sent shivers down his spine that had nothing to do with the cold of the night.

“Well, I’m not sure how long it could take. I mean, it could conceivably take weeks or months if they have to find us like you guys found Alex. But—“ He said, and she interrupted.

“But?” She repeated in question, the word filled with trepidatious hope.

“But maybe… I’ve been thinking about Nico’s spell.”

“Is that what we’re calling what she did to us?” Gert asked sharply, but Chase just looked at her with soft eyes.

“Come on, Gert, you know she didn’t mean to.”

“Yeah, but it’s still her fault.” She shot back, and Chase couldn’t really argue, but he didn’t want to let the conversation devolve too far into negativity.

“Okay, but does that change anything?” He replied carefully and she huffed out a breath.

“Can’t I just be mad?” She challenged back, and Chase thought about it. And he determined she was right. Why couldn’t she be mad, if that was how she was feeling? Come to think of it, Chase was a little mad too. But mostly just because Gert was. He hated for her to be upset. But if he was being honest, he was kind of loving this. For now at least. Time would tell if they could find water or food, if they’d end up perishing on this paradise and by the time the rest of their group found them they would just be sun-bleached skeletons. That could very well happen. But for now, they were okay, and all Chase could really think of was how he was happy to be so close to Gert. To be talking to her again. Because that’s all he’d been wishing for, for the past few weeks.

“You’re right. Nico should have been more careful.” He agreed, and Gert made a noise like a ‘harumph’ in appreciation for his acknowledgment.

“That’s an understatement.” She said obstinately, but under the light of the stars, Chase could see the smirk on her face and it made him smile. “Ok, but you never told me what you were thinking about.” He looked at her for a long moment with big eyes, working up the courage to respond.

“She told us to go somewhere alone to work our shit out…” He replied, finally, and Gert’s eyes went wide in reply, before she shifted them away from his gaze.

“Oh…” She said simply, and Chase swallowed. There was a lot implied in that command. There was a lot between them. What could it mean, _working their shit out_? It could mean becoming friends again. It could also mean _more_ …

“Well… maybe if we do… we’ll just…”

“Get teleported back to the hostel?” She asked, looking at him with inscrutable eyes.

“I mean…”

“It’s not a bad idea… but Chase… I don’t…” She stumbled, and the look on her face was so awkward and worried that he felt his chest constrict in response.

“I’m sorry… I didn’t mean…”

“No, it’s okay, I just…”

“Because—“

“Yeah—“ She replied, and it was so awkward, Chase felt the air leave him. He didn’t know where to go from there. He’d just suggested they _work their shit out_ , and after what had transpired between them at the dance a few weeks ago, and the ensuing tension afterwards, that was a bit of a loaded suggestion. And he didn’t mean to _insinuate_ anything! It was just an idea he’d had. A possible solution. But who knew what was involved with even doing that? He regretted saying anything already. He should have just let it happen organically. What was wrong with him?

Gert rolled over then, away from him, and Chase felt like he was falling. He didn’t know what to say, so he said nothing. That had not gone well. But he was too embarrassed to say anything else. He didn’t want to make things worse. If she wanted to roll away from him, he had to let her. So they laid there in silence, until he thought Gert had fallen asleep.

But Chase couldn’t sleep. It felt like a few hours had passed, and all he could think about was how _close_ Gert’s body was. And how _cold_ he was. And about a thousand other things. But those were the top two. But then he heard her moan in her sleep, and she curled in on herself, wrapping her arms around her body, and Chase felt his brows constrict in worry. And suddenly all he could think about was her wellbeing. When she moaned in discomfort again, he’d already had enough. He hesitantly raised his hand and rested it on her arm, gently shaking.

“Gert? Hey Gert?” He whispered softly over the sound of the waves and the gentle wind through the palms. She moaned once more, like she was in pain, before she woke with a hiss and a whimper.

“C-cold.” She said simply, and Chase thought he heard her teeth chatter, and that was _it._ That was all he needed to hear. He shifted over, shimmying his hip towards her, until he was right against her. But she was facing him and it was causing a space between their bodies and that wasn’t going to work, so he was bold enough to use his hand, placing it above her hip and gently pushing to roll her onto her other side. She was compliant though, and she murmured in gratitude, so he felt emboldened to complete what he started. He couldn’t really believe this was happening, but he was working on instinct. If he stopped to think about it, he’d probably freeze. But right now she was cold and his instincts were telling him to warm her up.

When she was settled on her other side, he slid in behind her and cupped his body around hers. His knees found the inside of hers and he tucked his feet underneath her own, and she pressed them down against them trying to absorb the warmth he provided. That was all the invitation he needed to wrap his free arm around her middle and to pull her tight against him, his chest against her back. He held his breath to steady himself because he was dizzy with the rush of her proximity, but it blew out of him in a bit of a croak as she let out a soft coo of pleasure. That sound would fuel him for days to come, he knew it, and he stored it in his memory to be replayed in times of need. Because _wow._

And he _didn’t_ want to thank Nico. Because this was dangerous. And serious. But as Gert nuzzled back against him to get as close to him as she possibly could, and she hugged his arm against her chest, he had to admit his was a bit torn. Because this wouldn’t have happened without Nico, and despite the situation they were in, this isolated moment in time was _pretty good_. And then Gert moved in a way that caused Chase’s eyes to pop open, and then he scrunched them down to control it. She hadn’t meant to. He told himself that immediately. He couldn’t let it affect him. He couldn’t ruin this for her. _Shit._

              But if something happened down there, she either didn’t notice or say anything, so after a few tense moments, Chase relaxed and just focused on not thrusting against her. It was a surprisingly difficult thing to do, if he was being honest. It’s like his body was pre-programmed or hard-wired to work that way. But he was better than his base instincts. He could master them. For Gert.

              A while later, they both drifted off together. And surprisingly, Chase had good dreams for once. Because she was there.

 

 

 

 

              When Gert awoke, it was to the screeching of seagulls on the shore. She squinted against the already harsh light of the day, trying to figure out where the _hell_ she was. The hostel was never this _bright_. Or this salty… or sandy… okay, she was on a damn beach. And suddenly she remembered everything. Especially…

“Chase!” She gasped, reaching forward with her hand to grope the space he had occupied last night. And suddenly she had this memory of his body wrapped around hers, or was it a dream? Her heartbeat sped up at the thought, because dream or memory, it had been… _everything._ But it had to be a dream. _It had to._ And if it wasn’t, then, well, he was probably just being nice keeping her warm, because it would be way more boring being stuck here with a corpse. That must be it.

But that didn’t explain where he was now. So Gert sat up, the palm fronds rustling underneath her, and she squinted against the bright light. Geez, it really would have been nice to be able to _pack_ for this trip. She could really use a hat right now, or some sunglasses. Or a glass of water. _Damn_ was she thirsty. So she groaned a bit as she moved to her feet. She couldn’t see Chase, but her eyes were still adjusting, so she did her best to ignore the wave of panic that seemed to be rising in her chest with his absence.

But thankfully all it took was a few steps towards the beach to hear some rustling down the way. When she turned, she audibly gasped, but thankfully the sounds of wind and ocean made it audible only to her. Because she couldn’t help it. Chase was making his way down the beach towards her, dragging behind him two massive stalks of bamboo. And he was shirtless, his muscles flexed from the strain of their load and glistening in sweat. And it was everything Gert could do not to lick her lips.

She stood there, slack-jawed and staring, for a good minute before he looked up and noticed her as he approached. “Hey Sleeping Beauty!” He called out with a bright smile, and Gert snorted and rolled her eyes, doing everything in her power to stamp down the smile that wanted to bloom on her face. Beauty? Was he talking about her? _Sure._

“How long have you been up?” She asked, because she didn’t know how to respond to Chase calling her a beauty, even _if_ it had been a joke. Chase finished the last few steps dragging the bamboo over to a pile he was creating with a grunt of effort, and clapped his hands together before wiping them on his pants. When he was done, he finally turned to Gert to answer her, and that’s when she realized she’d been staring. No, not staring. _Ogling._

“I don’t know, since the sun started rising and those fucking birds wouldn’t shut up.” He laughed, thankfully either not noticing her eyes continue to drop to his bare, glistening chest, or mercifully not mentioning it. Although, he did appear to flex just now as her eyes once again drifted downward, so maybe he was noticing. And was it suddenly warmer out? Geez, Gert was getting hot.

“Yeah, well…” She started, trying to get her brain to come up with _anything_. “Don’t go and get yourself dehydrated and die. Take it easy.” She snapped, and wanted to slap herself on the forehead immediately. Chase’s brows constricted, nonplussed, and Gert continued. “No offense, but I think I need you to live.” She added, and she meant it as a criticism, as a jab, but she couldn’t help but enjoy the smile that spread on his face for some reason at her words, his eyebrows un-knitting and raising in mirth.

“Don’t worry Gert, I know you’re a city girl at heart. I’ll take care of you.” He said, and Gert felt torn instantly by contradicting feelings. On the one hand, she wanted to melt into a puddle and swoon and replay those words a thousand times in her head: _I’ll take care of you._ On the other hand, she was a feminist and there was _no_ way she needed a man to take care of her! But he must have been able to read her last thought on her face, because he added defensively, his hands coming up between them to ward her back. “And _not_ because you’re a girl! So don’t even try. If Karolina was out here with me, with or without the powers, I probably wouldn’t have to lift a finger. She’s been deep-woods camping since she was a baby. It has nothing to do with your gender. It has _everything_ to do with the fact that you, Gert, are an indoor kid.” He replied, and she huffed.

It was true. Gert had been camping once in her life, and it was at one of those yuppie campgrounds that had bathrooms and showers and _wi-fi_ … so it barely even counted. And even then, she’d spent 90% of the time sitting in the car, avoiding bugs. “That’s fair.” She grumbled with a pouty face, and Chase smiled at her. His expression looked unbelievably fond, but she must have been reading that wrong. He was probably feeling smug. That’s all it was. “But don’t let me catch you spewing any misogynistic bullshit.” She added, pointing at him, and he laughed.

“I wouldn’t even dream of it.” He said, putting both hands up to the sky like he was surrendering. And _Oh God_ the way it pulled at the bare shining muscles of his chest, and the way his biceps bulged and reflected the light of the sun… Gert coughed and turned away. She decided to stare out at the ocean until she felt herself calm down, silently cursing Nico for putting her in such a situation. Not only might she die slowly of thirst or hunger or exposure, but she was going to be tortured by the gorgeousness of the guy she’d been in love with since second grade who was too good for her and would never rightly want to be with someone like _her._

              “It couldn’t have been _anyone_ other than Chase?” She asked the ocean before her quietly, knowing the words would be washed away in the sounds of nature around her. But of course, he had chosen that moment to come step up beside her.

              “Huh?” He asked, and Gert jumped a little and turned to him.

              “What? Nothing!” She replied, and then she saw the coconut in his hand, and her mouth started watering. He followed her eyes and smiled as he held it out to her. There was a small hole at the top, and she wondered how he had managed that, but she wasn’t surprised. Chase was nothing if not industrious.

              “I thought you might be thirsty.” He said with a smirk, and Gert wondered if that was because she was blushing from head to toe. But she didn’t want to act too bashful, because then he’d _definitely_ notice. So she reached out and took the large, green coconut from him.

              “Thanks.” She said as she raised it to her lips, and she instantly felt better as she took a big gulp of the sweet water inside. She felt more hydrated, and felt her blood sugar rise, and it was just what she needed. “Ahhhh…” She couldn’t help but say in refreshment as she pulled away and wiped at her mouth with the back of her hand, and Chase laughed. “How many more of these do we have?” She asked, looking at him, and he looked like he was thinking.

              “About a million, if I can find a way to get them down from the tall trees. I climbed for that one, and got a few more, but it got a little sketchy.” He replied, and involuntarily Gert felt her brows raise.

              “You moron, you could have gotten yourself killed!” She snapped without thinking, overcome with worry, even though he was standing here and he looked alright. And then she realized that her concern could be easily construed as her _caring_ about him too much, and she slightly panicked, so she added, “And then what would I have done? Indoor kid, remember?” Thankfully, Chase smirked in response.

              “You’re right, what was I thinking?” He joked back, and she couldn’t help but feel the corner of her lips pull up lopsidedly. “How about you spot for me next time?” He asked, and Gert’s mind instantly pictured her looking up at him from below, and the angles for admiring that would provide, and she felt her flush intensify as she nodded jerkily.

              “Yeah, uh huh, that would definitely be safer.” She said through a croaky voice, but she mastered it quickly and turned to him. “Okay, so what do we do next?” She asked, wanting to move to something productive. Something to get her hormone-ravaged mind out of its current downward spiral.

              “Well I was going to jump in the water and cool off for a minute, plus I’m disgustingly sweaty.” He said, and she nodded but looked decidedly away from his body as he said it, like she’d seen some particularly interesting bird or something. “It’s already so hot out. How can it be so hot during the day and so cold at night?” He added, and Gert wanted to give him an explanation about distance to the equator and humidity levels etc but she decided to give him a break because he’d been working so hard already. She could see their pile of bamboo was significant, and a small pile of coconuts sitting by Chase’s shirt under a palm tree. “You want to join me?” He added, causing Gert’s head to snap back over to Chase.

              She couldn’t help but look down at his chest, and then down at his jeans, before looking back up at a very smug looking face. “I don’t bite.” He said with a smirk, and Gert made a _really_ embarrassing squeaking noise. And then he started to _undo his pants_ , and Gert thought she might need some oxygen, despite being currently surrounded by fresh air. She shook her head vehemently and looked away.

              “No, I’m good for now. I think I’m just going to…” Gert said awkwardly, pointing away back up at the place they’d slept. “Go…” She added, trailing off… practically running up the beach and away from the hot guy stripping before her. What was her problem? Oh yeah, it was probably the utter and total feeling of inadequacy he brought out in her. That was it. It was hard to appreciate him without constantly being reminded of how _he_ was a 10 and _she_ was a 6 at best. And that was on a good day.

              She _did_ sneak one backwards glance as she went, however. Because she was human okay and she wasn’t perfect. And she saw him sliding down his pants over that perfect ass that she’d admired many times over the years, always from afar, and revealing a tight pair of light-grey boxer-briefs underneath. He kicked off his pants on the dry sand and then trotted towards the ocean, stopping to let a wave break on his legs, before continuing. And Gert swallowed and forcefully turned away. It simply wouldn’t do if he were to turn around and see her watching. He’d probably never let her live it down. And she didn’t want to let him know she liked him.

He’d gone along with the one-time-thing scenario, so now she couldn’t let him know how much she cared. Because there was one thing she would rather die than become, and that was a fool. She wouldn’t embarrass herself by throwing herself at the fucking Greek god that her old childhood friend had turned into, because there just wasn’t a world where the two of them could ever be together. Not that she could see at least. And she didn’t want to be a fool, and she also didn’t want to completely ruin whatever shards of a friendship they still had with each other.

So instead, she started sorting Chase’s pile. Long sticks that could be used for the shelter, and she started breaking up the drier sticks and whatnot for firewood. She scratched herself a few times, winding up with a few small cuts that stung with her sweat from kicking through the stronger ones, but all in all, it was a very cathartic exercise and she found a lot of her (let’s face it, sexual) frustration leeched out of her as she did. Though most of it came right back when she cautioned a glance back to see how Chase was doing in the water. The answer was he was doing fine. And she chose an awful time to look, because he was just finishing, walking up towards her out of the ocean, dripping everywhere like some god of Atlantis. It looked like he was moving in slow motion.

She squeaked once again (since when had that become such a problem?) and turned back to what she was doing in a rush, but luckily he was much too far away to hear. She didn’t know if he could see her, either, because the sun was behind her and likely in his eyes. But she didn’t know if she’d be that lucky.

About a minute later, he came up behind her, but thankfully she was very aware of his presence so he didn’t surprise her. “Hey, good work! I was going to get working on a fire soon. It could take all day, it should probably be our number one priority, after last night.” He said, and Gert felt her eyes widen but she kept them on the tinder she was breaking up in front of her. So it hadn’t been a dream… But she forced the thought from her mind as she focused on his words and turned to look at him quizzically.

“What do you mean all day? It’ll only take a few minutes, the sun is out.” She said, like it was obvious. She stared him in the eye, her eyebrows quirked like he was a weirdo, because was he joking?

“Did you bring a box of matches you’re not telling me about?” He asked in return, a look of confusion on his face. “I don’t know if you’ve ever tried to make a bow-drill, Gert, or to start a fire with one, but I did it in scouts once for a badge and it took all day. And that was with _tools_.” He replied, and she laughed.

“Chase we were in tenth grade English together, did you not even _read_ Lord of the Flies?” She asked, and his eyes darted away from Gert’s guiltily and she laughed because that was all the answer she needed. “Okay I’m going to take that as a no. Luckily, you’ve got a Piggy right here.” She added, and almost laughed at the wide-eyed upset look that flashed over his face.

“Why would you call yourself that?” He asked, seriously, and Gert’s impulse to laugh caught in her throat at the seriousness in his voice. It was like she had deeply wounded him by calling herself a name, and _wow_. That was… interesting. She would probably want to think about that later. But now wasn’t the time.

“No, Piggy is a character… with glasses?” She added, and he still looked confused. “Here, let me show you.” She said, and she knelt down on the sand and took a small bundle of dry twigs with the fluffy tinder, just enough to be an example, and settled them on a clear spot of sand. Then she looked up at Chase to make sure he was watching and _big mistake._ Why hadn’t she noticed before that he hadn’t put his pants back on!?

His boxers were wet and clung to him and… well… it painted a _very_ clear picture of what was underneath. She could leave it at that. “Chase!” She choked, ripping her eyes off of… _him_ … and snapping them up to look him in the eye. She did her best to scrunch her features in to look angry, or at least the closest approximation she could muster. “Why don’t you have pants on!?” She added, and he at least had the decency to look embarrassed as he reached down to cover himself with his hands.

“My boxers were wet!” He replied defensively. “I need to let the little guy dry out before I put my pants back on.” He explained, and Gert rolled her eyes.

“Little guy is right.” She snarked, and he looked comically wounded, and Gert smiled.

“Hey! It isn’t so little… is it?” He asked, and she groaned and tried not to laugh. The answer was _no_ , but she wasn’t going to let _him_ know that!

“How about we stop talking about your dick?” She snapped back, and he smirked, knowing he’d flustered her, and stretched, reaching to the sky with his arms, leaning back and jutting his hips forward in a long ‘ahhhhhhh’, and she swore she was going to kill him if Nico didn’t rescue them soon. He was doing it on purpose, the cocky (pun _intended_ ) bastard. How could he be so comfortable with his body around her? And of course, she took the fucking bait, and couldn’t help but allow her eyes to travel south before he finished stretching and she forced them back to the little example fire she was making.

“You were the one that brought it up.” He argued back, and Gert felt her blood pressure rise, and she didn’t know if she wanted to laugh or to hit him. But then he knelt down beside her and leaned over to see what she was doing. “So show me what you’re talking abou—ohhhhhhhh.” He finished, cutting off his question as he watched Gert remove her glasses and hold them up to find the sweet spot in the sun, so she could focus the light on the tinder. In just a few seconds it was smoking, and in a few more a tiny little flame burst into life. Chase instinctually leaned over it to blow, causing it to burst into a tiny little roaring fire, even though it wasn’t big enough to last more than a few seconds.

Then Chase pulled up, smiled down at the fire, then turned his face to Gert. And there was so much joy and wonder there, a smile that split him from ear to ear, and he held up his hand for her to high-five, which she did with a smirk. “You’re a genius!” He enthused, and she snorted a laugh, but didn’t answer so he continued. “I don’t think you understand how much time that saved. We really need to get to work on a shelter in case it rains. And the coconuts will do for now, but we need real water by tomorrow or we’re going to be _really_ sorry in about a day or two.”

Gert nodded, and tried to ignore the dizzy, out of control feeling of anxiety at the thought of being here for days or more, the thought of going thirsty, or hungry. But she reigned it in and nodded again more decisively. She could do this. _She could do this._


	2. Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chase and Gert are doing ~alright~ since being stranded on this beautiful -and remote- desert island, but how will they handle themselves as a storm blows in?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part 2! I hope you're having fun so far, and get ready for things to ramp up a bit ;)

 

Chase spent most of the day building a lean-to style shelter for he and Gert to lay under, and it was a good thing, because as the day went on, a dark wall of clouds rolled in from the East. He and Gert had worked in silence most of the morning and early afternoon, both of them focusing on beating the storm. Gert was collecting smaller sticks and branches, and she’d also built them a proper fire close to the shelter, circling a pit with rocks and building it up with smaller and larger sticks, using the teepee formation Chase showed her.

He was practically glowing with pride, watching how well she was doing. But he couldn’t let her know. For some reason she hated it when he complimented her. Or it would make things weird at least. And then they’d either stop talking, or start fighting. So he did his best to keep the current peace they had going, and Chase focused on the task at hand. He was getting pretty satisfied with this basic shelter, at least for today, when the first raindrop hit. He’d basically built a big frame wall of bamboo, buried the one end and propped the other up with two large branches. Then he’d filled in the frame with cascading layers of palm leaves. They were still sleeping on the ground, and he intended to change that soon, but for today at least they had a roof over their heads.

“It’s starting to rain!” Gert called, pulling in one more load of wood and dumping it into their now very large pile. But Chase would have thought it was already pouring, by looking at Gert. She was soaked head to toe in sweat. She’d refused to take off her shirt, _his_ shirt, actually, which was crazy because it was a long sleeved dress shirt and she must be _boiling._ But she was only wearing a bra under that, apparently, and she’d been grumbling about wishing she’d worn a tank top underneath all day. At least she had on short-shorts, though they wouldn’t do much to keep her warm at night, so she really couldn’t win.

Chase couldn’t help but stare, the way the white shirt clung to her body and he could see her red bra so clearly through the translucent damp material. Her hair was wet and clung messily to her head, some errant strands sticking to her cheek and even that was a fucking turn on and _shit_ , Chase had to swallow and look away, and then very carefully lean forward to cover the hard on he seemed to be quickly losing control of.

“Oh, is that what those little drops of water coming out of the sky are?” Chase asked back at her, teasing her to break the tension he felt (mostly in his pants). He cautiously got to his feet, thanking the lord for skinny jeans and their boner-controlling magical properties, and stepped out of the shelter that he had just recently collapsed into. He was also dripping with sweat and wishing he could take his pants off. You know, _after_ his completely humiliating erection went away. “I know you like explaining things to me, Gert, but this one, I’ve got.” He added and she rolled her eyes, but continued to stand there as the rain picked up, raising her face to the sky and letting the cool water wash over her. And Chase had to admit it felt amazing, so he joined her.

After a few minutes, they were both completely soaked, but it felt cleansing. The salt and sweat was washed from their bodies and Chase felt his core temperature cool down with the rain and, yeah okay, Gert looked fucking amazing. The shirt was as good as see-through, and the way it clung to her and showed the lacy red push-up bra she wore underneath… He didn’t know Gert owned such sexy underwear, honestly. Well, he knew the bra she’d worn at the dance had been amazing, but that was a _dance_ , this had just been some random night at the hostel. But the thought that she had been walking around, wearing _that_ bra under _his_ dress shirt, just casually arguing with him like it wasn’t the sexiest goddamn thing in the world, well it was doing things for him. And that was _without_ the wet t-shirt look she had going on right now.

“Take a picture, it’ll last longer.” She said after a while with a smirk, and Chase laughed and shrugged in a weak defense.

“Fresh out of cameras.” He said, and she scowled at him. “And knives, and fishing hooks, and ropes, and pots, and…” He started counting off all the things they didn’t have that they wished they did, and Gert held up her hands to stop him.

“Yeah, I know we’re screwed, don’t remind me.” She said, and he felt instantly guilty.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to…” He said, and then he brightened as he had an idea. “Let’s set up the water traps!” He added, and she smiled. Throughout the course of the day, they’d collected anything and everything that might hold water. The best were probably the massive palm leaves, the ones that were all one piece, that would probably hold a gallon or more of water if they set it up properly. They’d also found some broken bamboo segments that they tested with ocean water and found didn’t leak, they planned to use those as glasses.

The massive leaves began filling instantly, and they both drank deeply, and it was about the best thing Chase had ever tasted. He felt the cells in his body coming back to life, and instantly he felt better. He smiled at Gert as she drank, the water falling messily down her face out of the unwieldy leaf vessel, but it didn’t matter because by this point it was pouring. And now that he was hydrated again, now that he could think properly again, he froze as he came to a terrible realization.

Why hadn’t he thought of this? The smile washed from his face, and Gert noticed and stopped drinking, looking up at him in question. “Our clothes are soaking.” He said, and Gert regarded him with a _no shit Sherlock_ kind of look. And, like she was reading his mind, she said out loud.

“Yeah, no shit Sherlock.” And he laughed despite his fears. The coolness of the rain had been wonderful at first. They had both been sweaty and hot in the heat of the day, and from working so hard. But now that he’d had something to drink, the rain was starting to feel a little cold. And as the sun disappeared behind the dark clouds, the warmth seemed to be leached away from the air around them. And suddenly Chase remembered that, wherever they were on the planet, however close to the equator or not, it was still January.

“Gert do you remember how cold it was last night?” He asked, and the sarcastic look wiped from her face instantly and her arms wrapped around her body, like she, too, was suddenly feeling the cold.

“Oh…” She said, and then she shivered, and instinctually, Chase reached out and pulled her towards him, wrapping his arms around her protectively. He was instantly warmer, and Gert only fought it for a second before she must have agreed. He knew she didn’t want to be with him like _that_ anymore, not the way he wanted to be with her, but at least she wasn’t so disgusted with him that she wouldn’t let him keep her safe and warm. Because even if she didn’t want him, Chase cared deeply about Gert. Maybe probably loved her, if you thought about how much he worried about her, but he wasn’t sure of that. What was love, anyways? How was he supposed to know?

But what he did know was that regardless whether Gert liked him in return, he always wanted her to be safe. And as the wind started to pick up, standing on the edge of an ocean with a storm rolling in with soaking wet clothes wasn’t seeming extremely _safe_ at the moment. “Let’s go back to the shelter!” He shouted over the suddenly loud sound of crashing waves, and Gert nodded against his chest, so he took her hand and began leading her back up to the (hopeful) safety of the trees.

Between the canopy of the palm trees overhead and the sturdiness and size of the lean-to he’d created, the shelter was blessedly dry when they returned to camp. It was wet outside of the shelter, but the trees above provided enough break that the fire was also still going, and Chase sent out a silent thank-you to whoever the god of fire was, because he thought that might be the difference between living and dying tonight.

When they arrived, Gert ran straight to the fire, holding out her hands to be warmed and let out an almost orgasmic sounding groan of pleasure that sent an aroused shiver through Chase’s body, even in the cold rain. “Can’t we have a fire in the shelter?” She moaned, and he sighed.

“Some shelters yes, but those would take a lot of work. Maybe in a few days. But for now it’s gotta stay outside, if you don’t want to wake up in a fiery inferno. Or suffocate on smoke in your sleep.” He answered, and she huffed and gave him a grumpy look that made him smile, which only made her scowl even deeper, and suddenly he was laughing.

“What’s so funny, Stein?” She asked, and he shrugged.

“You didn’t pack us any supplies, but I see you packed your angry eyes at least.” He teased, quoting an old childhood favourite movie of theirs, and she (predictably) cracked a begrudging smile. But then she looked up, and he realized they were still standing out in the rain.

“What are we going to do?” She asked, once again wrapping her arms around herself and Chase sighed, turning to look at the shelter.

“If we wear these clothes in there, we are probably going to die of hypothermia.” He said reasonably, then turned to see a look of horror on Gert’s face.

“We—we can’t!” She squealed, and Chase laughed ruefully. He knew she’s say something like that. He didn’t blame her.

“Next time we’re going to have to be more careful about keeping dry clothes, Gert. This is my fault.” He said, raising his hand to run his fingers through his wet hair as he thought.

“Okay but what about _this_ time?” Gert asked, and Chase shrugged. He knew the answer. He watched all of Bear Grylls’ shows. When you’re cold and wet, you’re supposed to take off your clothes and dry them. But he was willing to freeze if it made Gert more comfortable, and that was the truth. So he went and sat in the farthest corner of the shelter, thinking he’d try not to drip all over the middle where they’d want to sleep later. After a moment, Gert came to join him, except she sat on the other side of the shelter, nearer the fire, and stretched as far as she could towards it, without being in the path of the raindrops.

They sat like that for what felt like hours. The rain refused to stop, and Chase was _freezing._ He thought he might be hitting the early stages of hypothermia, actually, which might sound dramatic but he couldn’t stop shivering, and the lighting was dim but he thought his fingers might be turning blue. Gert was being unreasonably silent. It was worrying him, actually. Every time he’d catch her eye she’d resolutely turn away from him, and it was leaving him confused. And if he was being honest, a little hurt.

“Gert—“ He said finally, after he thought the sun may have set behind the dark clouds. It was especially dark out, without the stars, but thankfully they’d been able to keep the fire going with some dry wood Chase had kept in the shelter, so Gert was outlined in a flickering orange light that came from behind her. He watched her look over at him, and even in the dark he could see fear in her eyes. “H-hey, Gert…” He said softly, stuttering slightly due to his uncontrollable shivering, his heart breaking to see her like this and he was suddenly kicking himself internally for letting her sit there by herself this whole time. It was stupid, he should have been taking care of her. But sometimes, he just didn’t know the right thing to do with her. He wanted to respect her autonomy, and he didn’t want to act like some macho douche or like she can’t take care of herself… he liked to respect her decisions. But sometimes, her decisions were _dumb._ And they put her in danger because of her stubbornness. Like now.

She was shaking like a leaf, and he could see that her clothes hadn’t dried a bit. Neither had his. And the temperature was going down by the second. This was about to go from foolish to downright stupid if he didn’t do something drastic. “Y-you’re n-not g-g-going to like this.” He chattered as he began to peel the wet t-shirt off his back and over his head. When he was done, he looked at Gert, who was staring back at him like a deer in headlights.

 

 

 

 

 

“Gert, take off your clothes.”

They would write those words on her gravestone, because Gert was fairly sure she was dying. If not from the cold, then from embarrassment. But despite everything, despite the bone-piercing painful cold she’d been enduring these last few hours, she felt a warm lance go right down her middle. She’d have thought she’d have a bit more propriety in such a precarious and dangerous situation, but apparently she was as bad as a freaking thirteen year old boy when it came to thinking about sex. With Chase around, at least.

She wanted to say no, but she knew he was right. Especially when she struggled so much with the buttons due to her shaking hands that Chase had to come help her. He knelt in front of her, and slowly but surely (through shaking fingers of his own) undid the buttons one by one, revealing her perky breasts pushed up by the ridiculous bra she’d been wearing for some regrettable reason, underneath. Chase sucked in a breath of air as the shirt fell open, and she supposed he couldn’t help but stare. She had to admit, they looked good, and she figured even if he didn’t like her like that, they were still a pretty rockin pair of tits, and he was still a teenage boy. It didn’t _mean_ anything. Just like the sex at the dance.

_Oh God, why did she think of the sex at the dance?_

“There…” He whispered as he finished, looking up at her with wide eyes seeking approval. He was still knelt before her, and she almost wanted to push him away she felt so vulnerable, she felt like the love and lust must be rolling off of her in waves, so obvious that it would make her look like a fool to the boy that only wanted her as a one-time-thing. Even _if_ she’d been the one to suggest it. Not him.

Gert was still shivering, but it had slowed a little, she figured from the blood that was pumping through her body as her heart raced from his proximity, from the rush of his touch. She chewed on the inside of her cheek to bite back the nervous, embarrassed smile that wanted to spread on her face as she bowed her head and shrugged the open shirt off of her shoulders. Chase leaned past her just then, far too close, to grab the shirt and hang it up on the end of the shelter. It would remain wet for as long as it continued raining, but whenever it stopped, it would eventually dry out with the help of the nearby fire. Then he stood and began to take off his pants, and Gert watched for a moment, transfixed, before she realized what she was doing and she followed his lead and pulled off her shorts and handed them to him.

When she was just down to her bra and underwear, she froze. She wasn’t sure if he meant _all_ of her clothes, and she was already feeling mortified. Her arms were instinctively wrapping around her middle to cover herself, and it was not just because she was cold. When Chase was done, he looked back at her and his eyes travelled down her body before returning to her eyes and he swallowed. Then he looked down at his boxers, and up at Gert in question. As in, _should I take them off_?, THAT question.

And Gert panicked and looked at his, as Chase would put it, _junk_ , and then mortified, she turned away to look at the fire. “Let’s just… let’s just try it like this for now…” She said to the fire, but Chase heard, though he didn’t make a move towards her. He seemed to feel just as awkward as her, but then a cold breeze blew by and Gert shuddered, and Chase was finally unfrozen. He moved towards her quickly, and pulled her against him.

“Let’s lie down out of the wind.” He said in her ear as he held her tightly against him, his face bent down against her cheek and she could feel his breath on her neck. If she wasn’t so close to dying, it probably would have given her shivers of the pleasant variety.

At first it was incredibly awkward and uncomfortable. Gert was freezing, and soaking, and she couldn’t stop shaking, and oh, did she forget to mention, she was also _half naked_? And Chase, equally half naked, was big spooning around her, fidgeting with where his hands should lay.

But eventually, the mutual body-warmth began to work. And Chase’s body began to warm her up like a furnace, and vice-versa, she hoped, and it began to be _decidedly_ less miserable. It felt so _good_ to be warm again. She hadn’t told Chase, but she’d been silently having a pretty major anxiety attack for those hours she sat in the corner of the shelter. She didn’t blame him for not coming over to her, he didn’t know. That was good, because she didn’t want him to know, or to worry. But she’d been wound so tight, worried about freezing to death and spiraling from there, that now that she was warm again (or warm _er_ , because it couldn’t be above 55 degrees out here), she was feeling so much better she felt herself relax in other ways.

“That feels good.” She said, after a very long while of laying in silence, and she felt Chase’s arms around her pull her in tighter in response.

“I’d probably die without you right now.” He said very seriously against the skin at the back of her shoulder, nuzzling into the warmth, and it made her smile. Normally she’d chastise herself for smiling, for _enjoying_ this, she’d tell herself it meant nothing and not to get her hopes up… all the usual shit. But for now, with the relief of not dying and the afterglow, the voices in her head seemed to have quieted somehow. And she was just able to enjoy being alive. And she also might have been a little delirious from the after-effects of hypothermia. She was feeling a little loopy, like she’d had a few drinks, which probably wasn’t good, but she didn’t have much choice in the equation.

“Quite possibly literally.” She said with a smile he couldn’t see.

“I guess you could say you saved my life.” He replied, and she chuckled.

“And what is it, exactly, that you’re doing for me right now then?” She asked coyly, and he softly snorted a laugh.

“Saving your life with my _hot body._ ” He said, leaning over her a little to say the last two words in her ear, teasing her, and she giggled.

“You mean your _warm_ body.” She corrected, and she felt him smile against her.

“Yours is pretty hot.” He replied, and her eyes went wide and she knew she blushed from head to toe, though he wouldn’t know in the darkness. But she wasn’t embarrassed, per se, she was more excited. It was probably still the adrenaline from not dying, the euphoria of being warm again. That giddy half-drunk feeling that came from thawing out. And then there was the obvious explanation of her lifelong crush being pressed up bodily against her. But whatever it was, she was feeling good, and then he shifted, and his wet, cold boxers pressed against her and she was instantly uncomfortable.

“Eughhh” She shuddered, wiggling away from them, but then a gap formed between them and instantly the cold air filled it and she felt a shiver run down her back.

“I’m sorry… they won’t dry.” He said, and he shifted a little uncomfortably as well, and she realized it probably really sucked to be wearing those right now. Come to think of it, her push-up bra had little padded cushions that were soaked through and it was extremely annoying, as well. And before she even knew what she was saying, she opened her mouth.

“Let’s take them off.” She said, and without waiting for an answer, she sat up and took off her bra. And it was like _heaven_. It was so good that she embarrassingly groaned a little in pleasure as she did, and she froze as she realized what she’d done. But moving on, she leaned forward and hung it up on the side of the shelter, and then turned half-way to see Chase, keeping her back toward him but looking over her shoulder. He was looking back at her with wide eyes and a slack jaw, and he was still lying there in those soaking wet boxers, frozen. Gert looked down at them pointedly and then back up at Chase and cleared her throat, and he jumped into action, peeling them off and hanging them up.

Gert ignored every impulse she had to peek, instead laying back down and hugging her arms over her chest. Soon, Chase returned, but he hesitated when their bodies were a few inches apart. “You’re—you’re sure?” He asked, and Gert rolled her eyes.

“It’s just—human anatomy. This is a survival situation. That’s all it is. It doesn’t mean anything.” She snapped back at him, because even in her slightly dizzy state, she was starting to feel weird. She knew it was necessary, but it was still… super, super weird.

“Well it might not _mean_ anything, but you are definitely going to _feel something_ , Gert. Do you understand?” He replied defensively, and she thought about it, and she couldn’t help it. She laughed. And then she couldn’t stop laughing, and then Chase was joining her, and he tentatively moved back into position and when, finally, she could feel _him…_ she started laughing even harder.

“Oh my God, this is so ridiculous. I’m going to _kill_ Nico!” She wheezed after a while.

“Hey you better not kill her, I want to kill her too.” He laughed from behind her, and Gert was glad to hear he felt the same.

“Okay, we can share.” Gert agreed, and she felt Chase nod.

“We both kill her.” He said, and she laughed. They spent the next few minutes or so talking about all the ways they would kill Nico after this, and Gert found it was a nice way to break the tension. And then she started to warm up again, and suddenly she felt _exhausted._ Like, beyond tired. Beyond anything she’d ever felt before. She supposed it was the lugging wood in the hot sun, not sleeping well last night, her body having to fight off hypothermia… but she didn’t have long to think about it. Soon she was drifting off to sleep.

And she supposed she started dreaming right away, because she could swear she felt Chase place a kiss against the back of her neck.

But that was crazy. She was definitely dreaming.

 

 

 

 

 

When Chase woke up, he was blessedly warm, but more importantly, _dry._ Gert was still sleeping in his arms, snoring softly, and he very carefully untangled his arms from around her. And he did his best not to… _look_. But it was hard. _Really hard._ Almost as hard as he’d be if he _did_ look. So he abstained.

Instead, he turned towards the clothes they’d hung the night before. It had stopped raining sometime around midnight, so he held his breath as he lifted his hands to the fabric. And _Thank Fucking God_ , he thought, relief rolling over him as his hands clutched at the dry fabric of his boxers and Gert’s (his) shirt. His jeans were still a little damp, but that was fine, he could just wear his boxers. He figured he and Gert would be past the point of caring, after last night…

He blushed from head to toe remembering it. It wasn’t exactly how he’d pictured spending his first night sleeping naked with Gert, and he was so thankful for the cold wind making it so much easier not to get hard. He’d always pictured their first night naked to be, you know, after they’d had sex. And he wouldn’t have to worry about fighting off boners or his attraction toward her. And he could _look_ at her, and _touch her_ , and… fuck. He needed to stop thinking that way.

So he turned and lay Gert’s shirt and shorts over her like a blanket, covering her up, and when it was safe to look, he smiled down at her. She hadn’t woken, she must be exhausted, he thought. She’d worked really hard yesterday, they hadn’t eaten, and they’d gone most of the day without water. He was feeling pretty weak already, as well. And suddenly his smile turned to a frown. Today he needed to find food. So he got up and started to work.

It was amazing how quickly everything dried once the sun came up, but Chase would hate to see what it would be like if the weather were bad like yesterday for days in a row without breaking. He worried their shelter just wouldn’t hold up to much more, and already his mind was making plans for an elevated platform, walls to break the wind, and a covered fire pit.

So he went about doing what he was already after two days thinking of as chores, collecting firewood, tending the fire, tidying up, to fill the time until Gert would wake. When he’d finished, she was still sleeping, so he went for a walk down the beach. He found that the storm had washed in a few useful items, along with quite a bit of trash that made his heart hurt a little, if he was being honest. And he thought Gert might find it upsetting, so he cleaned it all up and hid it behind this large pile of logs at the end of the beach. But he did bring the useful stuff back to camp with him. He was quite pleased with himself, actually, as he regarded the large glass bottle, plastic milk jug, and the large tangle of fishing ropes. His mind was running about a mile a minute with ideas for the rope. Their shelter was about to get _way_ better.

To Chase’s pleasure, Gert was awake and smiling when he returned, and once again clothed. Although that part wasn’t so much to his pleasure, but he was ok with it, because Gert seemed so much more comfortable.

“Hey look at you.” She said as he approached, and he beamed at her.

“One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” He replied, and she smiled back at him. “This stuff got washed up in the storm. I have about a thousand ideas for the rope.” He explained further, but she was dialed in on the bottle and the jug.

“Amazing!” She exclaimed running towards him to grab the bottle. Then she went directly to one of the water-catches they’d built and began carefully filling it. “I’d been so worried it was all going to dry up.” She continued, looking back at him when it was full, her smile wide. Then she lifted the bottle to her lips and drank deeply, finally pulling away with a sound of quenched thirst. Then she refilled the bottle and handed it to Chase. “Here, have some.”

He took it from her gratefully and drank deeply himself, figuring they better drink up while they could because they’d caught a lot of water but it was all going to either dry up or become contaminated before they could drink it all. When they had both had their fill, they refilled the bottle and the jug and carefully placed them in the protection of the shelter.

Newly refreshed, they both decided it was time to explore the island. Chase didn’t want Gert to go, but they’d gotten into an argument about misogynistic tendencies and a patriarchal view of female helplessness, and in the end he’d given in and let her come with him. It was a good thing, too, because Gert had found literally _all_ the food. It turned out there were fruit trees a plenty, you just needed to be willing to push through a thick almost impassible section of forest. And Gert was that crazy. He’d criticized her decision the whole way, cursing the thorns on the vines that kept scratching him, the cuts burning with the salt of his sweat that built up as the heat of the day got more intense the later the morning got.

But eventually they’d found a grove, and there were tuber plants that they could boil, bananas to eat, and this delicious fruit that Chase had never seen nor heard of before. But it seemed alright, and he didn’t seem to be dying after eating it, so he figured it was safe. He’d insisted on eating it first after Gert had demanded she try it. But there was no way he was going to let her take that kind of risk. Luckily it had paid off, and they both sat in the fruit tree grove happily filling themselves with all they could eat. There seemed to be more than enough, enough to last quite a while at least, as long as it didn’t spoil or get eaten by animals, so they decided to take a good amount home, but leave most of it on plants, trees, and bushes. They would stay good for longer that way, and it wasn’t too far away, or too perilous now that they’d already forged a path.

All in all, it was a very good day. When they got back to their camp, it seemed too late to do much work on the shelter, and the sky seemed pretty clear, so they both just sat side by side, chatting comfortably, working together to untangle the mess of fishing ropes. Chase hoped that if they could repair the net, that maybe in a few days they could be eating _fish_ as well as fruits and coconuts.

It didn’t even really occur to Chase how unusual this calm, comforting, _ease_ between he and Gert was. They’d been arguing and dancing around each other for weeks, it should strike him as odd that suddenly they _weren’t_. Except, it felt so natural, that it didn’t strike him as anything out of the usual. It felt to him like this was what he and Gert _were_ , this was how they _belonged._ Teasing, laughing, joking. Always easy.

They fell asleep early that night. Still in each other’s arms, for warmth and practicality reasons of course, but tonight dry and clothed and fed. There wasn’t any of the tension of the night before, and Chase fell asleep with a smile on his face. Which was pretty weird, considering he was marooned on a desert island with no supplies and no way to get home. But maybe it wasn’t so weird. Because he may not have supplies and he may not have a way home, but he had one very important thing. He had Gert. And if he had Gert, he was always home.

 

 

 

 

The next few days passed by without too much event. Gert felt herself fall into a rhythm with Chase quite quickly, as they both figured out their respective roles. They worked together in tandem, going most of the day without speaking, just getting things done. Gert was working on untangling the fishing line, and when she’d become bored she’d weave the skinny palm fronds together, making sheets of tightly woven protection from wind. She was actually pretty good at it, and had completely surrounded the shelter with large sheets of it by the fifth day, making sleeping significantly more pleasant.

Though no matter how much warmer they made the shelter, they always slept together. It was a comfort thing as much as anything else by this point. She knew in the real world this would mean nothing, that they’d go back to being nothing, but out here… well, he made her feel safer. And if he was willing to wrap himself around her at night, providing her with not only warmth but comfort, well… she was going to take it.

And he didn’t make it weird. He respected her. And she appreciated it more than she could say. But by now, she was feeling much more comfortable around him. She didn’t suddenly have any sort of hope for a romantic relationship, but she definitely was starting to feel at ease around him, and she supposed that was all she could really hope for. They’d been loosening boundaries about acceptable amounts of exposed skin as the days went on. Well, Gert was. Chase had been prancing about in his boxers with no shirt since the third day. And it was distracting.

No matter how hungry she was, no matter how gross she felt, she _still_ felt unreasonably attracted to Chase Stein. How was it fair that he could still be so gorgeous, even without his hair products and soap and fashionable wardrobe? But despite her constant awareness of her feelings for Chase, Gert was put at ease by days of trust and honestly just plain hard work in hot, sweaty conditions, and she’d started working in just her bra and shorts. She’d caught Chase staring a few times, and she’d smirked to herself and fought down the glowing feeling of triumph, telling herself she was the only other human in a thousand miles, so it was only understandable from a biological perspective, for him to stare… but a deeper part of her found a resonant satisfaction in the feeling, and found herself posing at flattering angles for him since then, and becoming increasingly comfortable with his eyes on her body.

“I think we’re ready to try fishing.” Chase said at some point on the sixth day. Gert had been making a bracelet out of seashells when he spoke, and she looked up at him in interest. Fish. She could _definitely_ go for some fish.

“Oooh, all done?” She asked, and looked over at the net in his hands. They’d successfully separated the rope from the finer net, and repaired the holes and had what now looked like a fairly serviceable net. Over the past few days, a few more jugs and bottles had washed up ashore, and Chase had fixed them to the top, and she supposed he was finally done. Her stomach rumbled at the thought.

“How can I help?” She asked, and he smiled up at her with blindingly white teeth. They’d seemed brighter ever since he acquired his deep tan. That was also distracting. He shouldn’t be allowed to look this good.

“We’re gonna get wet.” He said threateningly, and she laughed in response. She’d followed him out into the water by the rocky outcrop, leaving her shorts behind and just wearing her bra and underwear, wishing not for the first time that she’d been able to bring a proper bathing suit with her. When they arrived they waded out together, carrying the net between them. Chase had fixed heavy rocks to the bottom, and they moved to a position to spread it out as long as possible. The waves and the tide were stronger out here, so they fought against it a little before they were able to get it just right, but eventually they emerged triumphant from the sea.

They both turned to look at it when they arrived on shore, and Gert looked up at Chase. “Now what?” She asked, and he smiled.

“We wait until the tide comes back in, and then we check it in the morning.” He replied, and Gert nodded, looking back out to sea. There were dolphins in the distance and she smiled at them.

“There seems to be a lot of _waiting_ involved in survival.” She quipped, and he smirked at her.

“There is a lot of _waiting_ involved in the real world, too. Waiting in traffic, waiting for high school to end…” He replied, but Gert frowned.

“You were waiting for high school to end? Why?” She asked, genuinely perplexed. “You were the king of high school, why would you ever want that to end?” She asked, and he seemed to consider her question thoughtfully, pursing her lips and smouldering out at the ocean like a model. When he seemed to come up with an answer, he turned to look at her with sad eyes.

“I hated high school, Gert.” He admitted with a heavy heart, practically sagging under the admission. “I was an asshole, I knew it. My friends were assholes. I hated them all.” He continued, and he looked at her with worried eyes, but Gert just looked back at him, confused.

“Then why—“ She started, not knowing how to end that question.

“Because I thought that’s what I deserved.” He explained, and he winced, turning away from her. Without thinking, Gert reached out to touch his arm, to turn his body towards her. What the hell was he talking about, that’s what he deserved?

“I don’t understand.” She said, wishing she did.

“I’m not—“ He started, but stopped, not knowing how to continue. “I’m not a good person, Gert. My dad—he’s not a good person, either.” He said, and was she crazy or were those tears forming in his eyes. Surely it was just some salt that had gotten in and agitated them? And what the hell was he talking about? Chase was a great person.

“That’s not true—“ She started, but he interrupted her sharply.

“YES.” He said firmly. “It is, Gert. My DNA is flawed and I’ve proven over the past couple years that I am not able to rise above it. I went full douchebag. I know it. You know it.” He added sadly, and Gert huffed.

“Okay, well, first of all, I resent the use of that term in a derogatory way.” She said firmly, and was happy to see a small smile pull up at the corner of his mouth. “And second, I think I know you better than just about anyone, if you count all our years going back. And you’re not a bad person.” She added, and he smiled sadly.

“I’ve been terrible to you.” He said, and she shrugged.

“I wasn’t great in return. I think I pushed the boundaries of creativity coming up with new and exciting insults to call you.” She replied, and he laughed, and the sound lifted her spirits as she looked back out at the water.

“Doc Brown was my favourite. I love Back to the Future.” He replied, smiling fondly, and she chuckled. “But you deserved better, Gert. I should have been better to you.” He added seriously, looking over at her, and Gert felt her stomach flip.

“You’ve been pretty good to me, lately.” She replied, not knowing what to say, and he smiled a little shyly.

“What can I say, you bring out the best in me.” He said, and blinded her with another sad smile, and this time she couldn’t deny the way she swooned. But she hoped he wouldn’t notice. Sure, she was comfortable around him, now. Sure she felt a bit of a thrill that she reveled in when she caught him looking longingly at her body. But she did _not_ believe for a second he had real feelings for her.

But what she did feel relatively sure of was that she and Chase had become friends again. And it filled her with a fulfillment and happiness that she couldn’t quite compare with anything else. They belonged together, as friends at least. That she was sure of. But then… why hadn’t they been magically returned to the hostel?

They’d worked their shit out, they’d become friends again. Shouldn’t that fulfill the terms of the spell that was cast upon them? But Gert couldn’t help but wonder, if the spell meant _more…_ What if it meant they had to… She felt a thrill and an aching desire at the thought, but she quickly stamped it down. If working their shit out as friends hadn’t worked, it stood to reason that the staff wanted them to become _more…_ but that was just too crazy to think about. Surely, this just meant that there was no magical return home. They’d be here for weeks or months, probably, waiting for their friends to find them.

But then again, was that so bad, either? They’d been doing pretty well together, so far. And maybe there was something to be said about the simplicity of a life full of survival, and _each other._ “Maybe we bring out the best in each other.” She said finally, carefully, and Chase practically split in half with his smile.

That night was a happy night full of hope for a net full of fish, and dreams of full bellies. Gert had rolled over at one point in her sleep, draping an arm and a leg over Chase’s body that still faced her, and she’d slept quite comfortably with her head in the crook of his neck and shoulder, awaking the next morning refreshed.

“Morning beautiful.” Chase had said, smiling at her when her eyes fluttered open. He must have been lying awake, pinned under her flailed limbs. But instead of embarrassed, she felt… a thrill.

“Morning handsome.” She said in reply with a wink, before rolling over and getting up. She heard Chase groan behind her, but she didn’t know what that was about, so she didn’t ask. He was probably just stiff. It was taking a toll on her, too, sleeping out in the cold like they did, sleeping on bamboo (Chase had built them a sleeping platform), working hard all day. “What do you want to do today?” She asked, turning to see he was still laying there, stretched out and at ease, his body fully and gloriously on display. She couldn’t help her eyes flicking down to look at him, before they flashed back to his face, but he’d seen, and he smirked at her like a cat that ate the canary, knowing she’d checked him out.

“Well first on the list is check the net.” He said, moving on but still giving her this _knowing_ look that was making her stomach do flips. But she stamped that down in favour of excitement over the prospect of fish for breakfast and she started shaking her hands excitedly in anticipation, jumping up and down a little as she started thinking more and more about _food_.

“Oh my God, I forgot!” She squealed, and Chase laughed, sitting up. “Hurry up, let’s go!” She urged and grabbed his arm to pull him to his feet.

“Well I’d hate to keep my lady waiting.” He replied through a wide smile, and Gert found herself _very_ okay with him calling her his lady, and that was weird, but she was going with it. She liked being his _anything_ , she was discovering. But she wasn’t going to look too deeply at that. Not right now at least. So she headed away from camp with Chase.

They both held their breath in nervousness as they approached the net a little while later, after walking as quickly as they could to the end of the beach. Gert said a silent prayer to Poseidon as they waded out together, her stomach aching. The fruit and the tubers had been good, but they needed _protein._ Her body was aching for it, so her hopes were very high, and she was very aware of how far they would fall if the net was empty.

They worked together, each grabbing one side of the net and pulling it together, and Gert felt dizzy with worry. But as they got to shallower water, she saw a few silver forms, flopping around, caught in the net, and she let out a shriek of excitement. “Chase! Chase!” She shouted in glee. “We got some!” She added and she did a funny little dance with her hips while keeping her hands firmly on the net, like a football player’s end zone celebration. Chase laughed as he saw it and his eyes travelled down to watch her body move, before looking back up at her, the smile fading to a comical look like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar as he saw Gert notice. But he quickly shook it off and the smile returned to his face.

“Let’s not lose any on the way in!” He instructed, and she nodded.

The second the net was dragged up far enough that the fish were secure ( _four_ of them!!!), Chase charged Gert in excitement, whooping with glee and wrapping his arms around her waist and lifting her into the air to spin around. She shrieked and laughed as he did, and only vaguely thought about the fact that his face was practically stuffed in her chest right now, and one hand was definitely kind of grabbing her ass as he held her up, but she didn’t care. It was the happiest moment they’d had since getting sent to this place, and her heart couldn’t have been any lighter in the moment.

She was just starting to get dizzy when Chase stopped spinning, and he dropped her on her feet, falling forward and pulling her to the ground as he lost his balance and fell on top of her. The sand was soft beneath her, so it didn’t hurt, and she was laughing too much to care anything. They both were.

After a moment, the laughing faded, though, and then it was just Chase laying on top of her, his smile softening shyly as he looked down at her and she looked back up at him. And for half a second, Gert thought he was going to kiss her. His expression had softened to a vulnerable look as his eyes darted down to her mouth before returning to her eyes. And surprisingly, she would have been okay if he’d done it. But he didn’t.

Instead, he seemed to realize what he was doing and he retreated back into himself, and he literally shook his head, as if to clear it of this romantic daze. And then he spoke. “You know, we’re pretty good at this.” He said, looking down at her intensely and she blushed under his stare. “We’re pretty good together.” He added, and Gert felt the air leave her chest. _Oh._

But then Chase seemed to have realized how intense the moment had gotten, because he was rolling off her and pulling her to her feet. “Let’s not kid ourselves, it’s _you_ that’s pretty good at this.” She replied finally, smirking at him, and he smiled modestly and shrugged, and she laughed softly. But then she worked up her courage and added, “But yeah, we’re pretty good together.”

She didn’t know why she said it. It was unnecessary. They’d already moved on. She was delusional, and possibly delirious from hunger. That was it. That had to be it. Because she knew there was no world in which Chase Stein would want to be her boyfriend.

Except… lately… somehow, she’d been wondering if maybe there _was_ a world where that could happen. It was probably just Stockholm Syndrome. Being stuck on an island with him, no escape, having to rely on each other. It was making her misinterpret his feelings for her. But she’d been loosening up over the last few days, building a trust with him, opening up to him, feeling more comfortable… and with that newfound comfort also came this new feeling. She didn’t know what to call it because it was so new. _Confidence_?

Chase had just smiled goofily in return, and Gert didn’t know how to interpret that, so she moved on. They were both in wonderful spirits as they prepared the fish. Chase had made some pretty serviceable knives by breaking some rocks into shards, and he used a thin one to gut and de-scale the fish with a remarkable efficiency. She knew he’d been in scouts, but she didn’t know he actually, well, _learned_ anything there. But he was finding new ways to impress her every day. And every day she found herself more and more attracted to him, as if that was even possible at this point. It was getting to be a problem.

Together they put the fish on green sticks and roasted them over the fire, and Gert had groaned orgasmically upon taking her first bite. It was bliss. Pure bliss. Chase had looked at her a little funny when she’d done it, but she was starting to move past embarrassment with him at this point. For one thing, she was eating a fish on a stick wearing nothing but her bra and underwear, and she wasn’t batting an eyelash, so what was some food induced moaning while they were at it?

Besides, Chase had joined her in the loud eating department the second the food touched his lips. “This is sooooo good.” He moaned in ecstasy, and she laughed and nodded, and through an extremely full mouth she said ‘yep’ in agreement. They’d finished their food mostly in silence broken only with thick ‘mmmmms’ or ‘ahhhhhs’, and both napped for an hour or two after, unused as they were to having full bellies. It was wonderful.

And not for the first time, Gert had to ask herself how mad at Nico she _really_ was. Because, reckless as it was, dangerous as it could be, she wondered if she wasn’t gaining more than she was losing, on this crazy adventure. Not only was she gaining new skills, and confidence in herself, but she’d gotten _Chase_ back. As a friend at least. But that was okay, because it meant he was in her life again, and in a meaningful way. Not just as someone to argue with and feel strange around. Even now, in the heat of day when he didn’t need her for warmth, he clung to her with a comfort and an ease she didn’t expect on day one. And that had to be worth something. So as long as they could get out of this alive, Gert thought she might not kill Nico after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for sticking with me! I hope you're enjoying it! I'm actually not sure if I'll be able to post it all tonight as I'm starting to go cross-eyed from 4 days of typing on a tablet computer (lol) so check for the final 2 parts to be posted tomorrow! That's when the mature rating will kick in ;)
> 
> I'd love to hear if you're enjoying it and what you think so far, if you care to grace me with a comment! xoxoxox -kelly


	3. Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Gert and Chase begin to thrive on the island, other needs come to the surface. Tensions begin to rise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off, I'm sorry for not posting everything yesterday, I got a huge headache and couldn't keep editing, but here we go with Part 3!  
> This fic is about to earn its mature rating. Get ready for sexual tensions, that have been steadily on the rise since they'd gotten to the island, to finally come to a head (no pun intended... or was it lol)

 

Chase woke from his nap a new man. The protein had absorbed into his body and he felt instantly five times stronger, more full of life, capable of taking on _anything_ this island threw at him. So full of life that… _shit…_ Goddamn it, looking down, it seemed like his _whole_ body was feeling full of life, this afternoon. He wanted to blame it on the protein, his body reacting to some proper nutrition, but he knew it mostly had to do with the fucking smoking hot babe he’d woken up on.

His face had been pressed against her chest, his arm wrapped around her waist, so yeah… that explained _that_. It hadn’t been as much of a problem, these past few days. He’d been so hungry, so tired, sex hadn’t been the top of his hierarchy of needs and there was enough other things to do to distract him when he’d start finding himself staring at Gert’s body, or thinking about things he’d like to do with it…

But suddenly, Chase found himself fully rested, his body hydrated and full of good food, with a good strong shelter around him, and suddenly _something_ was making its needs be known. _Strongly._ It was practically screaming at him for attention, actually, and Chase had to bite down on his lip to try to drown out the aching need with pain, but it wasn’t working.

Beside him, Gert stirred, and Chase panicked. Not now! He of course wasn’t wearing his jeans because it was the middle of the day, and he didn’t even have his t-shirt on to try to cover himself with. _Don’t wake up Gert._ He begged silently, holding his breath and trying not to move, not to wake her. _Don’t wake up don’t wake up don’t wake up._

She woke up. Of course she did. Gert nuzzled into his chest, pulling her arms around his ribs and holding him close, and Chase felt himself throb in response, and swallowed harshly. “It feels _so_ good to be full.” She murmured, her voice thick and satisfied, satiated, and Chase wanted to groan at her choice of words, and he tried to think of a way to roll away from her without hurting her feelings or breaking their progress.

Because it had taken _days_ for Gert to warm up to him enough to want to cuddle into _him._ At first it had always been him keeping her warm, but she’d been so much more comfortable these last few days that she’d started draping herself over him like it was nothing, and he _liked_ it. And he didn’t want it to stop. So he didn’t want to ruin that now by pulling away from her and not explaining it. Because he knew she’d overthink it if he did.

So he took a risk and he didn’t roll away. He just held his breath and hoped she didn’t touch it—but _fuck_ , of course she did. In her effort to get the most comfortable position for her arm, she brushed past and… yep, she felt it. Her eyes went wide and she squeaked a little in surprise, jerking back a little and looking at him. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean—“ She said, and Chase was wondering if it would be too much to ask of God to have the ground open up and swallow him whole at that exact second? He waited, but it didn’t happen. So he guessed he’d have to _explain_ this, somehow…

“No! I’m—sorry.” He stammered. “I just woke up, it just… happened.” He explained, embarrassed, and he thought he saw Gert’s eyes soften in sympathy.

“It’s okay!” She said, and she narrowed her brows confidently nodding once. “It’s totally normal… I, I’d be—I’d be surprised if this never happened, actually. It’s probably all that protein…” She stammered back at him.

“That’s what _I_ said!” He agreed, nodding, looking at her, and then they froze, not knowing what to say next. Unfortunately, Gert looked down at him, then back up at his face and he once again wanted to die.

“So do you… want to go… take care of that?” She asked, and Chase felt his eyes go round as saucers.

“No! No, I’m—“ He struggled to find words, he was so mortified. “I’m fine…” He finally finished, trailing off, and Gert smirked at him cheekily.

“Your call.” She said, and he groaned, rolling over and covering his face, and then she was laughing and rolling over at him trying to tickle at his ribs, trying to make him laugh and embarrass him further. It worked. But he also loved it.

 

It was without any kind of… _relief…_ That Chase continued his day. Thankfully his hard-on had gone away relatively quickly, but he still had this achy need inside of him, and a part of him knew that Gert was probably right. The time had probably come. If not today, then sometime soon he was going to have to take care of it. He couldn’t keep walking around like the raging hormone monster he felt like currently. His attraction to Gert had become out of control, and he had had zero relief for the tension since arriving on the island. If he _didn’t_ take care of himself, he’d keep waking up with boners, and then it would just be uncomfortable for Gert. She’d been cool today, but he didn’t want it to be, like, a daily thing or anything.

But today didn’t provide any good opportunities. They’d gone back out to set up the fish net again, and thankfully there didn’t seem to be any residual tension between them, they’d settled back into their easy banter, setting their mind to the task. After that, they’d decided to use some of their food-provided energy to explore the island a little more. They’d kind of stopped looking after they’d found Eden (that’s what Gert was calling the fruit grove), but Chase was hoping to find a more consistent source of fresh water. It had rained every few days or so, enough to keep their water catches and growing collection of bottles full, but Chase still worried what would happen if it decided to dry up for a few days. And Gert had agreed, donning her shirt and shorts to protect her from the scraping branches of the forest.

Or was it a jungle? Chase wasn’t really sure. He thought he remembered that if it was a tropical climate, it was a jungle, not a forest. But it didn’t matter. When they arrived at the fork that took them to the fruit grove, they turned the other direction, Chase leading the way and taking the brunt of the path-clearing duties. He had boots, after-all, and thick jeans for protection. Plus he hated the thought of Gert getting hurt.

They’d been hiking for about a half hour, clearing the path as they went, when Chase thought he heard running water up ahead. “Do you hear that?” He asked, and Gert strained to listen, but then her eyes brightened and she nodded.

“Water!” She exclaimed, and grabbed his biceps and jumped excitedly.

When they cleared the next corner, Chase stopped dead in his tracks, his mouth hanging open. He couldn’t believe his eyes. It was a pond, with crystal clear water, leading down to a little river, and it was fed by a _fucking waterfall._ This shouldn’t exist on an island like this, he told himself. It was _beautiful._ But it had to be some kind of mirage or something. Because how good would their luck have to be to find something like this?

“This can’t be real.” He said out loud, in complete defiant disbelief.

“It’s real, Chase!” Gert replied brightly, still holding on to one of his biceps and shaking him excitedly. “Do you—do you think it’s fresh water?” She added in question, her voice hopeful. Chase was doubtful, but he didn’t want to come off as overly negative.

“Only one way to tell…” He replied, moving to the edge of the pond and dipping his hand in. It was cool, and refreshing, and when he lifted a single drop to his tongue… “No salt.” He said, looking up at Gert with incredulous eyes. “It’s totally fresh!” He added, not believing it. Gert squealed with excitement and did a little dance, and Chase got up and joined her, laughing and making a little beat for them to move to, causing Gert to giggle.

When they’d stopped, Chase eyed the water carefully, and looked up at Gert. “I think we could stay here for a long time, if we have to.” He said, carefully, not wanting to worry her, but to reassure her. They had water. They had the net. They had shelter. They had Eden. They had each other. They were going to be alright. And thankfully, Gert smiled in response.

“Is it safe to drink?” She asked, looking at it, and Chase shook his head.

“We are not taking that chance.” He said firmly. “For now, rain water is safest, but this will do if we boil it first.” He explained, and she nodded.

“It’s so pretty… can we swim here? I’d love to wash the salt off…” She asked, and Chase thought about it. The water was moving from the water fall to the river, so it wasn’t like the water was standing still, it couldn’t be overly contaminated. And it looked and tasted to _clean…_

“Yeah, but it’s getting dark…” He replied, looking up at the sky. The afternoon was moving on, and he thought it might start raining soon. “We should probably get back. Tomorrow.” He promised, and Gert smiled.

They chatted as they walked back, making the path wider as they went to make return trips easier. Gert talked about some of the books she’d read recently, and continued where she’d left off in her oral retelling of Pride and Prejudice. That was Chase’s best ever idea, on this island, asking Gert to tell him a story. It had become their thing, these past few days. In their down time, when they weren’t working, she’d tell him the story, doing her best not to leave anything out. She’d read it so many times, she knew some of the passages by heart, and she was a wonderful story teller. Chase could listen to her talk forever.

He smiled the whole way back to camp, and then right up until the moment he’d fallen asleep with Gert in his arms. He’d been so at peace, he’d drifted off before her, which didn’t usually happen. And he’d dreamt about her all night. They were back at the hostel, but he and Gert were somehow the mom and dad. And Nico, Karo, Alex, and Molly were their kids. And Old Lace was their extremely scary dog. And they were all happy, and they were just planning on going to one of Molly’s soccer games when he’d woken up abruptly.

He’d rolled over in his sleep instinctually to find Gert. Even in his sleep, he needed to be touching her, these days. It was a source of stability and comfort, and having her in his arms just felt _right_ , so he wasn’t questioning it. But this morning, he awoke abruptly because when he reached out his arms, _she wasn’t there._

She was gone.

And Chase’s heart began to race, and a sheen of sweat built on his forehead that had nothing to do with the heat of the day. He didn’t know why he panicked, he didn’t know why her absence would cause him so much alarm, but he was just _worried_ about her. She never beat him awake. She was _always_ there when he woke up. What if she’d gotten up and checked the fish net by herself? And then gotten caught in a rip current, and pulled out to sea? What if she’d been eaten by a shark?

Okay, he was probably getting a bit carried away with that last one. But he was worried. So he got to his feet and walked out to the beach to look for her. But she wasn’t there. And now he was getting _really_ scared. “Gert!?” He called, trying to keep the panic out of his voice in case she was just around a corner somewhere. But she didn’t respond. “GERT!?” He cried, running up the beach to see the floats of the fish net where they should be. She hadn’t moved the net at least.

And she still hadn’t answered, and okay, _now_ Chase was starting to freak out. He wracked his brain to think of where she could be. It wasn’t exactly like there were many places to _go_ on this island… and then he remembered. The grotto (again, nomenclature ala Gert). And he couldn’t help himself, he started to run. He told himself the entire way that she was okay, that she was fine, that he was being crazy. But he needed to see her to know it. So he moved quickly over the path they’d made, and he closed the distance in less than ten minutes.

But he stopped, just before he turned that last corner, because he heard something. It was Gert, singing. The most beautiful song, with a lilting melody and soft lyrics he couldn’t quite make out other than to know it was the song of an angel. And he felt a pang in his soul, because he realized in that exact moment that he really _loved_ this girl. And it was a wonder he was able to stay standing the way it hit him all at once.

He _loved_ Gert. _Loved her!_ There was no question in his mind, no trepidation, not justifying it, qualifying it. It just _was._ He was in love with Gertrude Yorkes. Irrevocably and Indefinitely. And it was a _fucking revelation_. He wanted to join in and sing with her. All the self-doubt, all his torment felt washed away as he listened to her song, standing just out of view. He didn’t know why he hadn’t been sure before. He knew now that he was in love then, too. But he’d been too scared that he didn’t know what love was. But just now, when he’d woken up without her, when he’d panicked that she might be dead, and then when he felt that ultimate, epic relief that she was okay…. Everything was clear to him now.

He stepped quietly around the corner, not wanting to interrupt her song, but needing to see her. And then he froze. Because he was _not_ expecting… _that._ He felt his jaw hit the ground instantly, his stomach did a backflip, and suddenly there was an awful lot of blood flowing to the center of his body. Because at the edge of the pond were Gert’s unmistakeable red bra and underwear combo. And _in_ the pond… well in the pond was Gert. And _only_ Gert.

She was standing in waist-deep water, gently singing and rubbing clean water over her—entirely nude and entirely fucking gorgeous—body. The water she stood in was crystal clear, and the tan-line on her hip dragged his eyes down to look at the rippling outline of the long, unbroken skin of her hips and legs.

He didn’t know where to look. He didn’t know if he _should_ be looking. But he couldn’t look away. His eyes moved up from her waist to her full, beautiful breasts, and he swallowed hard, taking in her hardened nipples, and the way the beads of water dripped off of her and she shimmered in the light that broke through the trees above. He felt a _definite_ throbbing in his cock as he watched her run her hands over her chest, running them down her stomach and to her thighs and _FUCK._

Chase was suddenly _very_ aware that he had not yet taken care of the little situation he’d found himself in the day before. So he didn’t even try to fight the boner, because he had no chance. He just did his best not to touch it, because if Gert was going to catch him, it would _definitely_ be at the exact second he’d be touching himself as he watched her.

Not exactly the impression he wanted to give her.

But… what _was_ the impression he wanted to give her? He thought about it. How did he want to play this? Did he want her to catch him? Did he want her to know he’d seen her? Should he leave now and keep this whole thing a secret? If he left now, he might have time to rub one out quickly while this memory of Gert in the grotto was still fresh in his mind. Though, he didn’t think he’d be forgetting it any time soon. This would be fueling his solo adventures for years to come, he thought. But still, the ache that lanced through him was pretty imminently threatening at this point.

He turned to leave, taking a few steps away from the grotto back towards camp, when he froze. He _could_ just run off. He _could._ And maybe he was being crazy. Maybe it was just a boner-induced confidence and bravado… but he _really_ didn’t want to go anywhere right now. What he wanted to do was push the boundary—just a little—to see how Gert would respond. Because he _loved_ this girl, and _God_ was he attracted to her right now, and… if he played his cards right, maybe…

He took a deep breath, and turned back towards the grotto. He decided to play it moderately, and started to make a ton of noise as he approached, to give her a chance to cover up if she wanted to. And he had to say, he was curious to see what she’d do. She might totally freak out and die of embarrassment. He hoped not. But she might. That’s why he thought it would be best to warn her he was coming. So he called out Gert’s name as he turned the corner. “Gert?” He asked, moving his eyes to the water, where he found her.

And her response instantly sent another rush of blood to his extremities, but he was _so_ beyond controlling that right now. She was smiling up at him, coyly. She’d sunk down in the water to her neck, but her arms were out wide, gently swaying back and forth like she was floating. And she wasn’t covering herself up in the slightest. Because she might be below the water, but he could see _everything._

_Holy Fuck._

“How’s the water?” He asked hoarsely, his voice thick with need, and Gert smiled up at him in a knowing way.

“Perfect.” She replied softly, and flicked a small splash of water in his direction causing the water around her to ripple and throw waves over the perfect form visible below the surface.

Without thinking, Chase grabbed at his t-shirt and ripped it over his head, breaking eye contact with Gert only for the brief instant his shirt passed by his eyes. And then, without looking away, he kicked off his boots and then pulled down his boxers, waiting for her reaction, and she didn’t disappoint him.

It was so fucking sexy, the way she blushed and her smile had turned shy, but she didn’t seem off-put in any way. And she wasn’t covering herself up. And damn it, he might hate himself later if he was being delusional this entire time, if he completely misread this situation, but he thought she looked _eager._ So he took a tentative step towards the water, now entirely naked, and he watched as Gert regarded his approach with a quiet intensity, feeling her eyes on him. Knowing she could see his attraction, knew the affect she was having on him, and she still wanted him to join her. And that gave him courage.

 

 

 

Holy shit, was this actually happening!? Gert tried her hardest to master her facial expression, to look cool… but how was she not freaking out right now? It was like some sort of Goddess of the Grotto had possessed her and blessed her with the power of seduction, or something. Gert didn’t know if she’d be mortified tomorrow, or even later today when she had the chance to think about it and to start second-guessing everything, but right now she was… well she was feeling downright _empowered._

It was like this island was helping her shed the shackles of her old self, helping her _evolve_ into the next, more powerful version of herself. To think she had hated this place so much at first, been so afraid of it? But that was changing now, and it had only been a little under two weeks. She’d started to feel it yesterday, but even more clearly today, she was seeing the island for what it really was. With a little hard work, this place had provided for them everything they could possibly need, and brought them together in the process. _It was a gift._

From who, she wasn’t sure. Nico? The staff? God? The Goddess? Brooke Shields? It didn’t matter. What mattered was that she had to recognize the gift for what it was, and she had to _take it._ She would regret it for the rest of her life if she didn’t accept all of what this island brought her. And she hadn’t meant for it, hadn’t expected to be followed, but right now the island was bringing her Chase Stein. A very naked, very glorious Chase Stein. And his eyes were dilated, his expression was hungry but cautious, and he was coming _right toward her._

Gert tried to keep eye contact the entire way, but she couldn’t help but look down and take in his entire body, and as she did the Goddess that had possessed her bit her lip. And Chase’s mouth fell open, his lips parting just a little as he sucked in a breath of air in reaction to noticing her noticing him, though he quickly smiled just a little because he knew he’d been caught. The smile widened predatorily as he lifted his eye brow at her, bending down to push forward in the water, drifting out to meet her.

When he came to a stop a few feet away from her, crouched so he could float neck-high even though the water would come to somewhere mid-chest where he stood, he still had that hungry smile on his face, and Gert felt her body pulse in response, and an urge rise from her core. But Goddess or no Goddess, there was _no_ way she was going to make the first move.

Finally, Chase broke the silence, teasing her as always. “So does it look better without the x-ray goggles?” He asked, and she couldn’t help it, she laughed, and a bit of the tension was lifted, and she splashed him again, harder this time, and he took the opportunity to dunk his head under the water, leaning back as he came out like a mermaid, and Gert did it again. She bit her lip as she smiled at him, and Chase’s eyes flashed.

“The answer’s yes.” She said with a laugh and another splash, and he smiled contentedly in return. They were quiet for a moment then, both of them floating naked, just feet from the other, but neither knowing what to do about it, or even what to say. Gert knew she wanted something… she wanted _him._ And she thought he might feel the same. Even just from a biological perspective, he was probably getting as horny as she was. Even if he didn’t want _more_ from her…

But the island had her doubting _that,_ even… her deepest, darkest worry, her secret shame, the cross she had born for years. Her feeling of inadequacy. Her doubt that anyone, let alone Chase Stein, love of her life, could ever love her in return. Would ever feel attracted to her. The one constant in her life up until that point was her unflinching, undoubting knowledge that Chase would never want to be with her that way. And yet… the island was taking that from her too, breaking it down before her eyes, and changing her perception. _Maybe he could want more…_

Even if he didn’t, he still wanted her _body_. Right now. And that might be good enough for now. It was obvious enough in his eyes, in his hungry look of anticipation, but it was also obvious in _other_ ways. _God_ it was sexy, the way he’d just _owned it_ as he stepped towards her into the water. She knew he was aware of his perfect body, but the way he’d pulled down his boxers with full confidence, looking her right in the eye the entire time and risen, fully erect like some sort of Greek statue, and he didn’t flinch. It was the sexiest thing Gert had ever seen.

“I was scared when I woke up and you weren’t there.” He said, finally, his voice as light as air but travelling just far enough to reach her ears, and she looked into his eyes. And they were wide, and they were _telling_ her something. They looked sad, but that wasn’t it… they were _serious._ And there was something about that look that broke her heart and set a warm glow in her chest all at the same time.

“I didn’t mean to scare you…” She whispered back, and Chase moved just a little closer to her.

“I thought something had happened to you…” He admitted, and Gert frowned before she pulled the corner up into a soft smile.

“I’m okay. I thought I could get back before you woke up, I just couldn’t wait to wash off all the salt and sand.” She replied, and his frown began to pull up at the corner as he echoed her smile. “I’m glad you followed me.” She added, breathily. Boldly. And his eyes turned dark as he swallowed and nodded.

“The water’s nice…” He agreed, and she realized they had drifted closer together. Close enough that all she’d have to do was reach forward to touch him. And she realized that _she was aching to do it._ But she needed him to make the first move.

“Mmmhmm…” She agreed, dipping down under the surface to wet her hair, popping up a moment later and smiling, splashing him again, making him laugh in response. “There’s sand at the bottom, I was using it like a loofah to exfoliate. It was nice.” She explained, with what she thought might be a flirty smile, rising just a little in the water, so that the top of her breasts just peeked above the surface. And she felt tremendous satisfaction as she watched Chase’s eyes fall, taking it in, and then swallowing, before looking back up.

He seemed to be having some sort of internal debate, judging by the quick changing flashes of emotion on his face, but finally he looked up at Gert with the softest yet most intense, _pleading eyes._ And he asked her, “Can—Can I help?”

And she felt the air leave her lungs, and all thoughts leave her mind. And then something possessed her to nod. _Yes. He could absolutely help._

 

 

 

Chase had no idea what had come over him. Could he help? _Could he help?_ Who did he think he was, Don fucking Juan? But Holy God, he was thankful he’d said it. Because Gert had said yes, and Chase felt his entire body squirm and pulse in anticipation of touching her.

They were both still, for a moment, but finally Gert moved a little further up the slope, to where the water was a little shallower, and she dipped down and came up with a handful of sand to show him. He moved towards her instinctually, like there was a line connecting his heart to hers, and it tugged as she moved away from him, so he closed the distance to ease the pain.

He watched as she lifted the hand full of sand to her shoulder and began rubbing down her arm, like to show him how, and then she moved it back up, and down towards her breast… _And oh fuck._ While she moved, rubbing the sand against herself, her nipple rose out of the water and Chase felt a throbbing desire jolt through him. He leaned down and grabbed a handful of sand and held it out to her. _Like this?_

Gert smiled and turned around, pulling her hair off her neck and around to the side, before looking back at him and batting her eyes. He didn’t know if she meant to do it, or what, but it was _fucking hot_ and he swallowed in response. “Get my back?” She asked, and he nodded silently, moving towards her. _This was it._

Chase lifted the sand to her back, and he began moving his hands against her, scrubbing in small circles, and he felt a contented hum in his chest, and a _throbbing_ down low, when she made the sexiest sound of appreciation he’d maybe ever heard. It was like a soft little ‘oh’, followed by an exhaled breath of pleasure. He couldn’t really explain it, but he wanted to make her make that sound again, and again, and forever into infinity.

Soon, the sand was gone, washed away by the water, but still his hands moved against her. And Gert keened against his touch and it fueled his desire. He wanted _more_ , but he had to be bold enough to reach out and _take it._ And so he did. God help him, he did.

Taking a deep breath, Chase started working his hands across her sides and her ribs, rubbing in soft, caressing circles as he moved them closer to her chest. He felt her freeze up for only the shortest of moments before she seemed to ease into it, arching her shoulders back towards him, jutting out her chest just a little as she leaned into his touch. Chase smiled in response, and moved his hands forward, to ghost along the edges of her breasts, testing the waters. When she cooed, he moved to cup them, stepping in to close the distance between their bodies, pressing his chest up against her back, knowing that she could feel his arousal but not caring.

She pressed back against him in response and that fueled his fires. He began kneading the soft flesh, filling each hand and relishing in the fullness, the softness, and her readiness to be touched. She arched back against him a little bit more, forcing herself more firmly into his hands and so he squeezed, because it felt like the only correct response, and she moaned softly in validation of his actions.

It didn’t take much of this to make Chase just about ready to lose his mind. He was lost. A mindless drone to his libido, lust, and _love_ for the beautiful form in front of him. He couldn’t stop now if he tried. Well, that wasn’t true. If she said no, he would stop in an instant. _But she wasn’t saying no…_

So he moved his fingers along her full flesh, and pinched gently at her nipples, twisting them just a little until he heard the moan of pleasure he was looking for, and then he slid his palms down over her ribs and stomach, before sliding them down her hips, and then her thighs, hugging them in then, spreading her legs a little, but never touching here _there._ Not yet.

Gert arched back in pleasure at his touch, and suddenly, Chase had had enough. He put both hands on each hip and then _spun_ her around to face him.

And then they were still for a long moment. Just looking at each other. Both of them with hunger in their eyes and fire in their hearts. Chase panted a little, he knew, but he couldn’t control his breathing. This was it. _This was it._

He’d been dreaming about this for years, but he’d never thought, never in his wildest dreams, that it would ever feel _this hot._ Not knowing what to do, he reached forward and ran his palms over the bare skin of her hips, and pulled her forward against him, smiling down at her from inches away. “All clean.” He said, his voice husky, and she breathed in before smiling shyly back at him.

“Thanks.” She said softly in response, her wide eyes staring right into his, and he felt another aching throb as he stared back at her, running one of his hands up, palming along her back, feeling the wet slickness of the skin, the other sinking lower and curving around her ass. Gert rutted forward, in response, and Chase thought he was going to come right then he was so fucking turned on.

It was clear what was going to happen. It was obvious. Chase didn’t think either one of them wanted to stop where this was going. And yet… neither one of them had spoken the words. Hell, neither one of them had even kissed, since that night at the dance. If you didn’t count the kiss he’d placed on the back of her neck as they fell asleep the first night on the island. And one of them had to make that move. One of them had to break the truce, end the armistice. And it might as well be Chase.

So he ran the hand on her back up higher and gripped her firmly by the neck, his other hand wrapping around her to pull her tightly against his body, and she gasped a little, under the firmness of his touch. But there was a gentleness, too. And he hesitated, giving her the time she needed to pull away, if that was what she wanted. But she didn’t. So Chase spoke her name, “Gert—“ He said, a whispered choke as his eyes begged hers for approval.

And she nodded, unable to speak. So Chase pulled her lips to his own, and kissed her hard, and soft, and everything in between, trying to pour all of his love, his passion, his _desire_ into just one kiss. It was the best kiss of his entire life. Better than the one they’d shared at the dance. Better than the one they’d shared on the roof of his garage during that astronomy project in seventh grade. It was his new perfect memory. And it was still happening.

The kiss deepened quickly, Gert opening herself to him at a surprising speed, allowing his tongue to explore, to taste, to cherish. His hands moved across her body in broad, needy strokes, and her fingers raked across his back in response. Sometimes his fingers curled in on her flesh, holding her tight, and she’d moan into their kiss and it would send electric shockwaves through his entire body.

This was what heaven felt like.

“ _Fuck._ ” Chase moaned into their kiss after a while, not able to contain his primal pleasure, and Gert practically _growled_ in response. And Chase couldn’t help himself, he thrust his hips up against her, pressing himself against her middle, and they both moaned in response, so Chase quickly did it again and groaned in ecstasy. _“Fuck, Gert.”_ He breathed, and she smiled carnally in response into their kiss, before pulling away and looking up at him. _Expectantly._

“Chase…” She breathed, and hearing his name sent a lightning shot of arousal straight through him and to his cock, and he wanted to hear her say it. Again, and again.

He didn’t think it was really possible to misread this situation, but he had to be sure. And quickly. Because he thought he might die if he waited much longer. “Are you… okay?” He asked, needing to know, and feeling his entire body flush in relief as she nodded emphatically.

“Really, _really_ okay… are you?” She asked in response, and he couldn’t help it, he laughed.

“Super.” He responded, and then she laughed, and then he was kissing her again, and it was like fireworks were going off in his head. Because he was also thrusting himself against her wildly, and she was responding by reaching down and _grabbing_ him, and lifting her leg a little and _guiding_ him towards her and… _oh fuck._

 

 

 

Gert couldn’t believe this was happening, but she was _so glad it was,_ as she (so boldly) slid down onto Chase’s _extremely_ hard cock. There was a pinch at first, causing her to gasp out his name into his mouth as they kissed and she sunk down slowly. He stopped his rocking, stopped thrusting, allowing her to acclimate. And that was good, because for a moment she saw nothing but an explosion of stars. But then there was a _need_ that grew inside her. And she needed to _move. Fuck he felt good inside her._ So she leaned back and pushed off the ground with her toe to get leverage to lift her body up and to slam back down onto him, and then _he_ was calling _her_ name.

“Gert!” He choked, panting, leaning forward to press his face into her neck and he began sucking the skin there, sometimes biting as the sensations overcame him.

“I know,” Was all she could say, and this time he lifted her up, both hands firmly holding her ass and _pulled_ her back down, thrusting up to meet her with his hips, and the sensation was _everything._ “Yes!” She moaned and he made a sound closer to a growl than anything else as he begin lifting her and then pulling her down to meet his hips in a punishing rhythm.

And all she could think was, this was the best she’d ever felt, in her whole life. She gave herself to the moment entirely, because it felt _so right._ Even if Chase didn’t want anything to do with her afterwards romantically, that felt okay because they’d always have _this_ moment. This perfect fucking moment, where their bodies had become one, in maybe the most beautiful place on Earth. And _God_ were they good together.

And then she transcended all thoughts entirely as she felt herself start that irresistible climb to release as they started their spiral together.

 

 

 

Fuck. _Holy shit._ Chase had never felt this good in his life, but his heart was also kind of breaking at the same time because he wanted it to go on forever and he was already feeling that pull, that _need_ for release. He held off as long as he could, trying to take every extra second he could to feel her around him, to hear his name on her lips like a prayer.

“ _Chase—“_ She whispered in ecstasy just then, like she’d read his mind, and Chase smiled carnally in response, nipping the soft skin at the base of her neck. That caused her to turn her face to the sky as she arched back, pushing her breasts forward, and Chase took full opportunity to dip his face down a bit to capture her nipple in his mouth. Gert moaned in response, and Chase felt it reverberate right down into his balls. He sucked at first, and when she was keening, he nipped her with his teeth. Just softly. But enough. _And Gert liked it._ “Yes—“ She choked out, pushing herself against his mouth, and _fuck_ was he turned on, so Chase repeated what he’d done on the other one, and she reacted the same.

He’d had big plans, when they’d started. When he’d realized that he and Gert were _really_ going to finally do this. He was going to make love to her standing there in the water, and then he was going to bring her up to shore and continue there, and then maybe up against a tree… but it turned out that being with Gert was so damned hot, and he had been so damned horny, that they never made it out of the pond.

He tried. Right about when he realized he was going to come if he kept going, he thought about bringing her up to shore and finishing there. But when he moved to change positions, Gert roughly shook her head, threading her fingers through his hair and _pulling_. “Keep going!” She panted, and _fuck_ it was hot. So he kept going. Harder, faster.

His rhythm started falling apart about the time that Gert started falling apart in his arms. She was close, and Chase was determined to last long enough to get her there, but _fuck_ the noises she was making were about enough to drive him mad. She was whimpering, and every little while she’d make this breathy high pitched sound, and Chase knew he’d be hearing it for years. And even though he was still in the moment, hearing it now, all he could think about was how he wanted to make her make that noise _again. And again._

A moment later, in this tropical oasis, scenic waterfall behind them, palm trees swaying above them, Gert came in his arms with a cry of his name, and Chase only just barely managed to pull out in time. It was the single hottest thing he’d ever experienced in his entire life. Gert clung to his neck, panting, and as soon as he was out, she wrapped her legs back around him and he hugged her tight to his body, his still-pulsing cock pressed between them. And they stood there for how long, Chase had no idea, coming down from their euphoric highs together.

Eventually Chase had walked Gert, still held in his arms, through the water to where it was shallower so he could sit with her in his lap. Her face was tucked against his neck under his chin, and he could feel her breath on him, ever so slowly returning to normal. He softly kissed the top of her hair and smiled at the tiny noise that escaped her, so soft he wasn’t even fully sure he’d heard it. They sat like that for a few minutes, until finally Gert spoke against his chest. “We should get back…” She said, but she made no move to get up, so Chase just smiled.

“Yeah, probably.” He agreed, also making no move to leave. So they sat for another minute or two in comfortable silence. Chase felt a little like he was floating, between the buoyancy of the water and the intensity of the orgasm he’d just had… not to mention the rush of having the love of his life fall apart in his arms… of holding her softly and kissing her hair. Sufficed to say he’d be okay if they never moved from this spot, if they stayed here forever, together. But he also knew they’d have to get up some time.

“We never checked the fishing net.” Gert said eventually, and shit Chase had totally forgotten, what with the panic of thinking she was dead, and the slightly distracting discovery of her bathing naked in an oasis grotto.

“You hungry?” He replied in question, pulling back just a little so he could look down and smirk at her, and watch her blush.

“I _may_ have just worked up an appetite.” She said sarcastically. But there was no bite to her words, and her voice was still breathy and subdued. A soft smile played at her lips, causing Chase to smile back at her in a similarly soft way.

“Yeah now that you mention it…” He agreed, feeling his stomach rumble as he said it, which caused Gert to laugh and (unfortunately) pull away. Chase made grabby hands at her, like he wanted her to come back, but she just laughed again and blushed, and turned away to rise slowly out of the water. And that was maybe the single most beautiful thing Chase had ever seen in his entire Goddamn life.

Gert looked like something out of a classical painting, like that Greek Goddess… Venus, he thought. The water cascaded off of her body as she slowly rose, and her purple hair was darkened as it slicked back against her head. He could see the outline of her breasts, and found his eyes wandering down, following the hourglass curves, taking in the masterpiece that was her perfect ass, and following the lines down to her endless long legs, and then back up again.

She knew he was watching, she had to, but did she know how sexy she was? Chase realized he was getting hard again, just minutes after coming, and he hoped she wouldn’t mind. Because how could he not? When she was letting him look at her body this way. Chase sat there, frozen, watching her slide one leg into those hot red panties, and then the next, bending over as she did, allowing him a _delicious_ view, not to mention her breast that had fallen into view, as she pulled them up. Then she slid on the matching bra, turning towards him once she’d done up the strap, smiling in an evil way.

_She knew exactly what she’d done._

 

 

 

 

Okay, _who the hell was this woman_ and why was she inhabiting Gert’s body? Because _when_ had she become this bold!? And damn it, Gert sent out as a silent prayer, please let it never stop. She wanted to be Island Gert forever. That’s what she was calling this new, bolder version of herself. The version of herself that would let Chase watch her bathe in the nude while he thought he was hidden in the trees. The version of herself that would make love to him in the full light of day, let him watch as she changed back into her skimpy underwear without shame.

But then, she also knew that even if she was discovering this amazing new side of herself, the old Gert wasn’t fully gone. Even in this moment of joy and satisfaction, even as she watched him rise out of the water ( _erect again_ ) and walk towards her, she was still there in the background, quietly worrying away. In this moment, however, she was mostly quiet, cast dumb by the blinding display of beauty before her.

He came to a stop right in front of her, fully nude and fully glorious, standing a little farther down the slope so they were about the same height, and he gently placed his hands on her hips, looking right into her eyes. Then he leaned in slowly and kissed her softly, pulling away after a much too brief moment and smiling at her. And sure, part of her was screaming in her ear that she’s being spoiled, not to enjoy it too much because they’ll be rescued soon and he’ll never touch her again after that, but luckily for this moment Island Gert still had the keys to the car and she smiled back at Chase serenely.

Then Chase turned away and pulled on his light-grey boxer briefs, and then his boots, throwing his tshirt over his shoulder but not putting it on. When he was done, he turned to Gert and held out his hand. “Shall we?” He asked, and Gert smiled as she placed her hand in his, allowing him to lead her away from the grotto, until the path got narrow enough that they had to walk single file.

They walked back in silence, which was nice at first, but soon the old anxiety monster in her chest reared its ugly head and Old Gert was back in the driver’s seat. What they had shared… it had been… really good. That was undeniable. She felt certain in the fact that Chase had had a _very_ good time, just like she had.

The problem was, to her, the act… what they’d shared… it couldn’t be separated from her feelings for the (not-so) dumb jock that held her heart. To her, what they’d shared hadn’t just been _good…_ it had been _beautiful._ Mind-blowingly, earth-shatteringly, soul-crushingly _beautiful._ It had felt different than what they’d shared at the dance. That night had been hot, and desperate, and so had today… but differently.

Today had felt _special._ Gert had felt like Chase had been worshipping her body, he was reverential, and she’d been so high on the feeling of it, she’d almost allowed herself to believe that he loved her back. That she meant more to him than just a way to blow off steam.

But now, removed from the magic of the grotto, walking behind him in silence in the darkness of the forest… Gert wasn’t so sure. Now that she thought about it, there was a very real possibility that Chase just thought of her more as a fuck buddy than girlfriend material. They were friends, he was a guy that was into girls, and she was a female that had been dancing around in lacy red underwear for days… it was easily explained away by teenage hormones and perfectly natural biological urges. And she tried to tell herself that that was okay, that she’d be fine with that. That having a sexy fuck-buddy was empowering as long as she was using him just as much as he was using her…

But it wasn’t true. And already there was this hollow feeling settling into her chest, at the thought that after what they’d shared, it couldn’t be _more._

_She needed it to be more._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok wow, I'm blushing. I hope you guys are still enjoying this and ready for the final part to be released later this morning (if you live in eastern North America lol if not, at some point during your day depending on time zone).
> 
> The fic has a dramatic ending I can't wait to post, so I hope you're still excited for more! If you'd like to let me know what youre thinking or if you've enjoyed it so far in the comments, it would literally make my day! :)
> 
> Stay tuned ;)


	4. Part 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The conclusion to the story!
> 
> Gert and Chase have shared something magical, but they did it without talking anything out first, and now they're both freaking out. Can they sort out their feelings, and survive the remaining dangers the island has in store for them, and get off the island alive?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, this is my favourite chapter, and the end to the story, I hope you love it and it's a fitting conclusion!

Gert had been quiet the whole way back to their camp. _Too quiet._ And Chase started to worry. Oh God, had he ruined everything, already? _Again?_ This was why he couldn’t have nice things!!!

Except, he couldn’t bring himself to regret it. What they’d shared had been the single best thing to happen in Chase’s 17 (almost 18) years on Earth. Never before in his life had he ever felt anything like that, he wouldn’t have even thought it could be possible before today. And it was more than just _sex._ He’d _had_ sex before, so he knew. Okay, maybe it was just that _one_ time, sure, but he wasn’t a virgin, and he even had a frame of reference for what it was like to be with Gert, because she was his first. And it had only been about a month ago.

The sex at the dance… it had been amazing. Better than amazing. It had been the best feeling in the world… up until now. But it wasn’t even on the same level as what he’d experienced with Gert today. He thought they’d connected in a deeper way, but he couldn’t explain it. It felt almost _spiritual._ Which was crazy. And scary. Terrifying, actually, because he thought that feeling might be because he had come to terms with being in love with her. That his love had made the difference. And that was terrifying because… what if she didn’t love him back?

Now that Chase had had a taste of what being with her… _like that_ … could be like, he never wanted it to end. And he was suddenly _terrified_ to lose her. Because what if he never got another chance? What if she pushed him away again, like she did last time? Or worse…

Usually out of the two of them it was Gert that would go on these negative spirals, thinking of every bad possibility or outcome, and he’d be the positive thinker that would provide some much needed optimism. But suddenly, as he thought that her silence might mean she was thinking about running away again, (emotionally, that is, being that they were stuck on an island together with nowhere to go) Chase was the one to spiral. He couldn’t stop the intrusive thoughts and worry from eating at his brain, even though he kept trying to tell himself that he was wrong, that it would be different this time, better. That she wouldn’t tell him this was a one-time-thing just like she had before… but when they got back to the beach and Gert avoided his eyes when he looked at her, it was like being doused in cold water, even in the humid heat of the mid-morning.

He’d been too nervous to say much, after that, and Gert seemed to feel the same. When they pulled in the net together and found five fish there, Gert hadn’t run to hug him in celebration, she didn’t even do a little dance like last time, and that made him so, so sad it was unbelievable. How had today taken such a negative turn? He’d been feeling on top of the world! And now he felt about as low as the belly of one of those tiny crabs that scurried over the sand at night. He kept trying to ask himself why he was being so negative, it wasn’t like she had actually _said_ anything, yet, and things had been great between them since they’d gotten to the island. He’d been making huge progress, and before now, he had been almost sure she had liked him back. What changed?

Oh yeah, it was probably the fact that he had realized that he was completely and absolutely in love with her, and now that he knew that, he also knew without a shadow of a doubt that his entire world would shatter without her in it. _That little thing._

So he’d sadly gone about cleaning the fish and setting them up on spits, worrying the entire time, barely looking up from his work, feeling sorry for himself. Because what if he had to live the rest of his life without Gert by his side?

The longer she went without talking, the more the fear and the worry began to creep up on him, expanding inside him until the pressure was so bad he thought his ears might start whistling. It hadn’t been so bad, the last time she rejected him. It had hurt him deeply, but it hadn’t been a lethal wound. Probably because he hadn’t entirely given up hope that they could one day be together. But being rejected twice? You couldn’t really come back from that.

He finally burst when she took her first bite of fish and she didn’t make a noise of enjoyment. That was it, he’d had _enough._ He felt like an inmate on death row! The waiting was excruciating, he had to _know._ And all this _tension_ between them, when there had been _none_ yesterday, it was just awful. He couldn’t live like this. So he put down his own crispy-skinned fish without taking a bite, placing it on the large palm leaf he was using as a plate, and looked at her intensely. Gert’s eyes widened as they met his, and she lowered the fish to her own plate.

“Just get it over with.” He said miserably, looking at her with wide, sad eyes. Her eyes were also wide, until she squinted them in confusion.

 

 

 

 

Okay… what? _Get it over with?_ What did the hell was he talking about? “I have no idea what you mean, Chase.” She replied, and she knew her voice was cold, but she was already putting up her walls, building up her defense mechanisms. Pushing him away at the first sign of rejection was number one on the list. But whatever this was that Chase was doing now… this was not what she had expected.

“You’re going to tell me it’s another one-time-thing, right? Just get it over with.” He responded harshly, and Gert felt her face twist into an even more confused expression if that was even possible as her brain sputtered and stalled. She was trying to figure out what his words meant by reading his expression, but what she was hearing and seeing didn’t make any _sense._ He looked… broken. This was _not_ the same Chase that she knew. He was vulnerable, and he looked scared, and he looked, well… broken. It took her breath away. But she still didn’t know what was happening.

“I—yeah—I mean—what?” She stammered, honestly lost for words. And then she saw how Chase’s face fell, his eyes dropping to the fire between them, and Gert’s brows narrowed in suspicion. _Did he mean…_ “Do you mean…” She said slowly, and Chase’s eyes rose to meet hers. And they were shimmering with withheld tears. And they made Gert’s heart break. “What on _Earth_ , Chase?” She asked suddenly, interrupting herself and hurrying over to sit next to him. Raising her hands to hold his face up, she looked into his sad eyes she brushed a tear away. She hadn’t even thought about it, she’d only reacted. Seeing him like that, hurting, with tears in his eyes… it had been too much.

And he let her. He let her hold his face, and peer into his soul, and he bared it before her. And when she looked into his eyes, she _saw something there,_ something that caused a spark to burst into life in her heart and she thought she might finally _know._ And she felt her heart leap and a dizzy, giddy wave wash over her. But she didn’t know for sure, and she had to be sure. _She had to be sure._

“Do you… not want to be?” She asked slowly, nervously. Chase narrowed his eyes at her then and pulled away from her touch just a little, so she let her hands fall.

“Just say it.” He challenged, twisting his face like some mix between anger and an attempt not to cry, and now it was Gert narrowing her eyes at _him._ She couldn’t help it, that was just how she responded to people taking threatening tones with her.

“Say what?” She asked sharply.

“Say it was a one-time-thing.” He replied defiantly, and Gert felt her temper rise.

“No!” She shouted back, freezing at Chase’s shocked expression. Then it softened, and he looked at her, the picture of self-doubt, which was so unusual because he was usually so sure of himself.

“No?” He asked, echoing her, his voice weak and vulnerable, his eyes boring into hers.

“No.” She repeated, softer this time, her own tiny flare of temper instantly diminishing as a wave of emotions washed over her and she looked into his eyes.

“Why not?” He asked, and Gert sighed, looking down to steel her herself for what was to come. And then she looked back up at him, brows narrowed, a determined expression on her face.

“Because I don’t want it to be.” She said quickly, and scrunched up her eyes waiting for the reply. But Chase didn’t reply. Instead, he just made this choked sound, and stared at her with wide, unbelieving eyes. And suddenly Gert felt exposed, like in one of those dreams where you’re onstage at a school play only you’re naked, and she wished he’d just _say_ something!

“You—you don’t?” He stumbled out, eventually, still looking at her like she had two heads.

“I mean… unless you do…” She said, embarrassed, but her heart burst with joy as he started vehemently shaking his head, a wide, incredulous smile starting to form.

“No!” He shouted, smiling without restraint now, reaching out to grab Gert’s shoulders with his hands to shake her a little, making her giggle. “Of _course_ I don’t!” He laughed, pulling her in for a tight hug, before pulling away and looking at her with bright, shining eyes. “Do you have any idea how worried I was?” He asked finally, and Gert knew she was probably looking at him like he was a little crazy, and something in her expression made him laugh again.

“ _You,_ worried?” She asked teasingly, and he chuckled.

“I know, first time for everything, right?” He replied with a laugh. And then they paused, and Gert found her own tendency to overthink things creep up on her.

“Just to be clear… you’re not just talking about the sex, right?” She asked quickly, and getting it off of her chest felt good, but she winced as she waited for an answer.

“Babe,” He replied with a smile, making Gert swoon. Okay, she kind of liked that. “The sex was out of this world, but I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about you. And me. Us.” He said, his voice softening as he continued. “I don’t want us to be a one-time-thing. I want us to be _more._ ” He added, and Gert felt like all the air had left her. She stared at him, completely lost for words, and completely focused on that last word. _More._

“More?” She asked, finally, and Chase smiled, leaning in towards her.

“More.” He assured her through a blissful smile, before pressing his lips against hers and kissing her softly. “And more.” He added, before kissing her again and then pausing, “ _And more…_ ”

And then they were kissing, and Gert didn’t think she’d ever had a happier moment. He was soft, but insistent, sweet and yet still sexy. But he didn’t push it, didn’t try to make the moment sexual, he seemed to just be enjoying the kiss for what it was. A connection, an emotional bonding of spirits after finally admitting their feelings for each other. A celebration that they’d found each other. And Chase never stopped smiling the entire time.

Eventually they paused for breath, and Chase leaned his forehead against hers, and after a moment he began to laugh softly.

“What is it?” She asked, breathily, and he smirked at her.

“You taste like fish.” He replied, and Gert let out a laugh before she put on a mock-angry expression and reached out to slap him playfully.

“Chase that is the single least sexy thing anyone’s ever said to me.” She replied, but she was smiling, and Chase laughed.

“Does that mean you want me to stop kissing you?” He asked with a knowing smirk, and Gert felt her face tighten as she tried to fight off the smile as she shook her head.

“…no.” She replied, and squealed as he lunged at her, pulling her over sideways and started planting kisses all over her face. She giggled like crazy, finally quieting with an ‘mmmm’ as he finally connected their mouths once more, moving his lips against hers so perfectly, his tongue tender and tentative as it found hers and they began their dance.

And okay, yeah, sex today had been amazing, but this was Gert’s _new_ favourite memory. And she didn’t know if anything could ever top it.

 

 

 

 

The rest of that day was a bit of a write-off. They’d tried to get all of their chores done, _they tried_ , but they couldn’t seem to keep their hands off of each other for long enough to get any real work done. And Chase wouldn’t really have it any other way. They deserved a day off. He’d been through such a rollercoaster since waking up and thinking she’d disappeared, to that literally life-changing sex, to thinking she was going to reject him, to _actually getting together with Gert_ … and that was more than enough. Add to that the fish they’d caught, and the healthy pile of firewood and stored water they had, and he thought they’d earned it. Call it a sabbatical.

That evening was perfect. The air was still, not a hint of wind, and the only sound beyond the two of them talking or kissing was the gentle crashing of waves, and the soft ‘crrrkt’ of the island’s insects. They’d been lying together in companionable silence for a while, Gert’s head resting on his stomach, sticking out perpendicular to him like a T, and he’d been patting her hair absently, when the question popped into his mind. “So am I your boyfriend now?” He asked, and Gert twisted to look up at him briefly and smile before returning to her position.

“Do you want to be?” She asked, and Chase rolled his eyes, though she couldn’t see him.

“Duh.” He replied, and she laughed.

“Then yes.” She answered, and he smiled.

“Sweet.” He replied, seriously, and she chuckled.

Chase would probably replay that conversation in his head a thousand times or more over the following years. What a perfect moment in time. Just pristine, pure, _perfection._

 

The next day was… less perfect. The island seemed to want to test their newfound happiness, but nothing could burst Chase’s bubble. Sure, he hadn’t told her he loved her, and he didn’t know if she loved him back, but she wanted _more,_ and that was more than enough for now. _He was her boyfriend._ He just kept repeating that to himself as they found an empty fish net in the morning, and the storm clouds started rolling in by around 10. With that mantra on repeat in his heart, nothing could get him down. They’d barely had any time to collect firewood to replenish their lazy efforts the day before when the rain hit, and they had a long, hungry day in the shelter, hiding from the rain ahead of them.

But that was _fine._ Because they were together. Chase might as well have been in heaven, for all he knew. Because Gert was next to him, and he she was cuddled up against him, and every once in a while they’d make out, and they would talk about _everything_ , and God it was just _the best._ He didn’t think he’d stopped smiling all day, despite being cold, and a little damp, and not having fish for breakfast. Who needed any of that when he had Gert?

They’d fallen asleep, sometime around midday. They were both so comfortable, and the white noise of the downpour around them had lulled them into a peaceful slumber. Some time, a few hours later, Chase had awoken to the sound of Gert groaning in obvious discomfort. His eyes fluttered open immediately upon hearing the sound, and he leaned up and onto his elbow to check that she was alright. “You okay, babe?” He asked, seeing her rolled away from him, rubbing at her neck, wincing. But at the sound of his voice, she looked over and looked apologetic.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you up.” She said, rubbing at her neck.

“That’s fine. But you didn’t answer my question.” He replied, and she smiled shyly, a little embarassed.

“I’m…” She started, hesitating because he knew she wasn’t good at being vulnerable. But she was trying, just like he was. And it was beautiful, and amazing, and fucking _everything._ So he waited, and eventually she looked up at him, her expression honest and transparent. “I don’t know if it’s the storm, or I just slept wrong, but my neck…” She explained, and Chase frowned, wanting to fix it, immediately.

“Can I rub it?” He asked, and her lips parted, and it looked like she thought about falling back on her old routine and refusing him, refusing anything that resembled help directed towards _her,_ but then she closed them again and smiled at him, nodding.

“I’d like that.” She agreed, and Chase glowed inside. He sat up, eager to help.

“Here, sit between my legs.” He instructed, and Gert nodded, moving to do as he told. Chase stretched his fingers and arms out in anticipation, and when Gert was in place, he began carefully kneading the tight muscles in her upper back.

“Oh my God, that’s good…” Gert moaned, leaning back into his hands, and Chase smiled darkly. He liked making her feel good. He liked it a lot. So he doubled down and decided to make this the best massage of her life. He started up at her neck, then worked his thumbs down in tight motions down her scapulars, alternating between digging with his thumbs and pulling at the muscles in her neck with his fingers. She moaned and writhed under his hands, and that only fueled him more.

After some time, Gert spoke. “Hold on, let me—“ She said, and then she twisted her arms behind her to undo her bra, and then she was slipping it off, and suddenly Chase had unrestricted access to Gert’s back, and shoulders… and _breasts_ , if he was so bold.

And he was. After a while, Chase’s hands found themselves inching towards her full, gorgeous chest with every pass, and when she seemed to arch into it, moaning in enjoyment, he decided to forego all pretenses and he moved his hands to once again cup, and worship, and cherish her soft, full breasts. After a little while of this, and after Chase became _fully_ hard, (because holy shit), he spoke in a whisper. “Your muscles are really tense.” He said, just a breath in her ear, and she sucked in a gasp of air as she turned to look at him and nod just a little.

“You know what might help?” He asked, and she looked at him with wide, questioning eyes, and he smiled knowingly before sliding his hands down from her breasts, across her stomach, and dipping his fingers under the waistband of her panties, and he relished in the excited and shy little gasp she rewarded him with.

“Fuck—“ She gasped, a moment later when his finger slipped down her slick entrance before hooking down a little pulling back up slowly, leisurely running his pad against her most sensitive spot. Gert moaned in response, pressing her back into his chest and throwing her head back, and Chase smiled in satisfaction.

“Is that good?” He asked huskily in her ear, and she nodded roughly in response.

“Mmm-hmmm” She breathed, and he exhaled sharply in response, using his right hand to rub slow, teasing circles around her clit, and his left to pull at her thigh, opening her legs while she writhed against him. And then he had an idea. He pulled his hand away slowly, causing Gert to whimper sadly and cause an aching throb in his shorts, while getting out from behind her and crawling around before her.

“Lie down.” He said with a devilish smile, and Gert’s eyes went wide and she bit her lip in desire, and Chase felt another needy pulse from his cock.

“Oh,” Was all she said, and then she laid down before him and Chase thought he was going to die.

The first thing he did was slide the lacy red panties down her hips, placing them beside them in the cover of the shelter so they didn’t get wet. The second thing he did was attempt to catch his breath. Because he appeared to be breathing a little too heavily in anticipation. Because let’s just say that doing _this,_ with _Gert_ , well, it had been in a starring place in his rotation of sex dreams for the past several years. Possibly his number one favourite dream. And so he smiled down at her, and she shyly smiled back before throwing an arm over her face.

Chase reached out to move it. “Hey, don’t cover your face.” He said, softly. “You’re beautiful.” He added, completely and utterly truthfully, and even in the firelight he knew she blushed and looked aside bashfully. It was adorable.

“You don’t have to say that.” She said, baffling Chase, and he blinked at her, confused.

“Yes I do, because it’s true.” He replied, and she tried to withhold her smile but it broke through, causing Chase to smile in return. And then Chase leaned forward to start laying a trail of kisses down her body, starting at her neck. She cooed and keened, rolling her hips more the closer he got to her center.

When he’d finally made his way there, he smiled against her as he laid soft, open mouth kisses on her thighs and outer lips, and Gert moaned in response, giving Chase all the invitation he needed. So he ran his hands against the inside of each thigh and spread her legs, bowing to carefully lick at her clit.

At first he went slowly. Soft, lapping licks, and she responded so well that he added a flick and a swirl of his tongue at the end, and then she groaned so he smiled into her. “Oh God, Chase—“ She moaned, throwing her head back, and Chase hummed against her in appreciation. “Have you ever—donethis?” She breathed out as she writhed and he laughed once against her, not stopping, and he shook his head slightly.

“Nuh-uh” He replied without stopping. Because he was on task. Now he’d moved on to gently sucking at her, and then he slid down and plunged his tongue inside her.

“ _Fuck._ ” She moaned and again he smiled against her. “Fuck I’m close, Chase.” She added, and he felt a throb in his pants at the thought of getting her off like this. It was only a dream come true. No big deal. So he lifted one hand to gently run down the outside of her lips as he continued to lick, and flick, and suck at her clit, and she screamed out when he slid a finger deep inside her, and she kept screaming when he curled it in and gave her clit one last loving lap of his tongue. And then her body was clamping down on his finger as she came, calling out his name as she did. “Chase!” She breathed, and he looked up at her, completely and utterly satisfied.

He let her come down slowly, crawling up to cuddle in next to her, but not saying anything until she was ready. She seemed so languid and content, Chase was incredibly proud of himself. For a first time, he was pretty sure that had gone pretty well. He’d probably give himself an A+ for effort, and a B for execution. Because as good as that was, he planned to get better. He knew there was room for improvement.

Eventually, she rolled over towards him, smiling contentedly and blinking up at him. “You’re right, I feel way looser now.” She said, and he smiled widely in response.

“Told you.” He replied gloatingly, and she poked his ribs, making him laugh.

“So are these the kind of girlfriend perks I can expect in the future?” She asked, and this time he laughed louder, and basked in the glow of satisfaction that hearing Gert call herself his _girlfriend_ caused him.

“Uh-huh, yes, absolutely.” He replied, and she snorted against him.

“Not a bad deal.” She replied and he chuckled, leaning down to kiss her head where it leaned against his shoulder and chest. Then she pulled her head up to look at him, and she had this sassy, bold, and yet shy look on her face that seemed to light a fire in Chase’s libido. And then she spoke. “Maybe you deserve some boyfriend perks?” She asked, and Chase’s jaw fell open.

“Uhhhh…” he replied dumbly, and Gert’s smile turned evil.

“ _Uhhhhh…_ ” she repeated, imitating him, teasing, and he laughed, pushing at her. And then she was climbing on top of him, straddling on his lap, and _holy fuck._

“Boyfriend perks eh?” He asked, and she bit her lip and nodded. “Not a bad deal.” He said, repeating her words, and she smiled before bowing down and kissing her way down his chest just as he’d done to her. And _God Damn_ , it wasn’t a bad deal at all.

Not. At. All.

 

 

 

 

The days passsed in a blur from there, filled by routine, hard work, and the warm glow of young love. Things were mostly the same as they’d been before, only now they would often frolic and play in the ocean totally nude, and spent most evenings kissing or cuddling or talking about dates they’d take each other on if they were back home. They talked about everything, really. Everything that could be talked about, they did, and Gert _still_ loved him at the end of it.

They didn’t always agree, and they didn’t have even close to the same taste in music or movies, but it didn’t matter. They were made for each other. Gert was sure. Well… 99% sure. There were still those moments, on cold rainy days when they’d sit quiet and she’d worry that that their love could only ever exist on this island. But then Chase would do or say something sweet, or kiss her just _so_ , and all the doubt was washed away. And he seemed to be going out of his way to remove any doubt that may be lingering, to prove he cared, being overly sweet and complimentary, just seriously over the top at times but she still secretly loved it. Because she hated to admit it, but she needed it. And he knew it. Because he knew _her._

It was strange, having someone so intimate and close. Someone that knew the real _her_. That saw her true face and smiled. That took not only her hand but the hand of her demon, and never flinched when it would show its face. Chase was quickly becoming her other half. Or maybe he always was, maybe he always had been. But they’d spent years estranged, and that trust had needed to be rebuilt. But the trust was back, and with it, it felt like a hole in Gert’s heart had been filled.

Sometime after their second week stranded, Gert had been laying around in the shelter while Chase constructed some new gadget or piece of furniture, whatever he was building. They already had two lounge chairs, a table, and a fish drying rack, she didn’t know what else they _needed_ , but she let him occupy his hands with craftwork, because that was what made him happiest in the daylight hours, after the chores were done. But it had been a lazy afternoon, Gert had been weaving, and she turned to watch Chase for a while.

When he finally noticed her looking, he stopped, looking up at her and smiling and she smiled easily in return, and asked him. “Are you ever glad that we got stranded here?” And she was surprised by the look he gave her. It was an incredulous look, as if to say _are you kidding me?_ And she almost laughed.

“Um, only _every day.”_ He replied, rolling his eyes like it was the most obvious answer in the world, and now Gert _did_ laugh.

“We could have died.” She reasoned, playing devil’s advocate.

“But we didn’t.” He replied, and she wobbled her head as if to say fair point.

“We’ve gotten pretty hungry at times…” She said after a moment, wracking her brain for any negatives from being marooned there that she could think of, and being pretty surprised when she found herself already reaching for drawbacks to being here. Because if she was being honest, there really weren’t that many. Chase snorted like to blow off the suggestion the second it left her lips though.

“But we haven’t starved.” He replied easily. “Could have been worse. You don’t watch _Alone,_ or _Naked and Afraid._ We could be sucking limpets out of their shells right now.” He added, looking back down at the piece of bamboo he was carefully splitting, and Gert made an exaggerated gagging noise, making Chase chuckle, but not break his attention.

“Well you have to hate being alone here, not having any contact with the outside world, our friends, so far from home…” She said, and finally he looked up at her. His expression was soft but a little confused and concerned.

“But I’m not alone.” He replied simply, and there was something in his eyes that made Gert’s breath catch. “I have you.” He added. “And if I have you, I’m home. You—“ he paused to point at her, “are my home, Gert.” He said seriously, looking right into her eyes, and Gert couldn’t help herself, she didn’t care what he was making, she launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him about hundred times all over his face and neck and shoulders while he laughed and pretended to try to fight her off.

When finally the moment had passed, Gert stayed next to him on the sand as Chase picked up the piece of bamboo he had just split, and he started to split it again, into smaller pieces. She eyed it, but she had no idea what he was up to. “What are you making?” She asked pulling her knees up to her chest and leaning her chin on them as she watched. He glanced at her with a smile before turning back to his work.

“A rake.” He replied, and Gert twisted her face in confusion.

“A rake? Why do we need a rake?” She asked, and he shrugged adorably.

“I don’t know… raking stuff?” He asked, and she chuckled and leaned her head to the side, resting her cheek on her knees, smiling softly as she watched him work. Eventually, she remembered she’d been trying to come up with things that would make him regret being happy to be stuck on a desert island. It was pretty difficult, because Chase was unceasingly optimistic in most aspects of life.

After a while, she had an idea. “What about hair products?” She asked. _That_ got his attention. He looked over at her.

“What about them? Is my hair okay?” He asked, too seriously, and Gert giggled.

“Its _fine._ ” She assured him. And it was. It was absolutely unfair the way the sun and the salt had lightened his hair to an almost-blonde, and the salt accentuated the waves and soft curls, keeping him perfectly styled at all times. _Ridiculously_ unfair. Because Gert _knew_ she had a dark stripe of roots showing, her signature purple had almost faded to silver in the sun, and all in all it was simply an untamed mess of frizz. Chase had made her a comb, and it helped, but she was still nowhere _near_ on his level. Still, though, she _knew_ he missed his products. “But surely that’s something that makes you mad about being here. No hair goo.” She added, and he scoffed indignantly.

“It’s _gel_ , not goo.” He explained haughtily, and she laughed, and her laughter caused him to break his fake-mad routine and smile widely. Then he nodded and shrugged. “Okay, you got me there, I miss my hair gel.” He added, and Gert smiled again, this time in victory.

“And what’s the one that’s kind of foamy?” She asked, idly, because what else did they have to talk about?

“That’s mousse.” He replied, and she nodded knowingly.

“And the sticky stuff in the little round tin?” She inquired curiously, trying to think if she was forgetting any.

“Wax.” He answered through gritted teeth, and he grunted as he chopped the rock chip through the bottom of the bamboo, successfully separating another small strip.

“You wax… your hair?” She asked, utterly perplexed. Who knew there was this entire world of haircare products she wasn’t even aware of?

“Well yeah, what else would you wax?” He asked, and she snorted.

“I don’t know… floors?” She replied, like it was obvious, and Chase smiled.

“Oh… yeah.” He said, and she laughed.

 

The day after that, it rained, though it held off just long enough for them to collect a decent haul of fish before the waters got too choppy, and at least replenish the firewood a little before it hit. Rain wasn’t really a problem anymore, at least in terms of staying dry. As long as they kept their outer most layer of clothes dry, they could always come to their now very weatherproof shelter and dry off out of the wind and wet and cold. It was raised about a foot off the ground to keep away from the bugs and crabs and possible snakes, and Chase had increased the roof height the previous week so now he could stand in it if he needed to.

Gert had woven so many sheets of palm leaves together that the walls and roof were completely wind and rain resistant, and they’d padded one section of the raised platform with a soft layer of fronds so they weren’t sleeping flat on bamboo every night. All in all, it was a pretty comfortable set up, even in the worst weather. The biggest problem with rain was the boredom that came with it. And with boredom came kissing, and with kissing came a constant desire to have sex. Which was technically ok… Gert had had a DP shot in November at Stacey’s insistence, when she’d missed her pill three times in a single month. Gert had argued that it didn’t matter because she wasn’t sexually active, but Stacey didn’t seem to care, and she said “sex is a built on biological urges and hormones, honey, and you have both of those things. You never know when you’ll need it. You’re _going on birth control._ ”

Gert had cursed her then, but was thanking her now that she didn’t have to worry about getting her period out here or getting pregnant. But still… they needed _some_ energy to go about just surviving in this place, despite how generous the island had been to them. And plus, it was almost _impossible_ to escape the sand that crept in _everywhere._ So except for “bath time” in the grotto (which they did as much as they could get away with), they tried to keep it above the belt in the shelter these days. But on long rainy days like this, it was near impossible.

“Why is it raiiinnniiinnnnggggg?” Chase moaned, sometime in the early afternoon, after being shut down on _another_ attempt at initiating sex. “I want to go for a swim.” He pouted, and Gert laughed. She knew exactly what he meant by _for a swim._ And _damn_ , did Gert agree. She would make love to him in an instant, if only she could wash off all the sweat and sand first, but she felt too gross right now to let him get away with it in the shelter, and it was too dangerous to walk to the grotto in this downpour.

“I’m sorry baby, I know you’re horny.” She soothed, petting his head, and he stuck out his bottom lip and pouted.

“So. Horny.” He agreed, and she laughed.

“Well if you want to cool off, you could go check on the fish net, the ocean is pretty rough, I’m worried about it floating away.” She suggested. She’d actually been worrying about it all day. She’d never seen the usually calm waters so angry and rough, and it was even worse down the beach by the rocks.

“Yeah, okay, I could do that.” He agreed, sitting up.

“But don’t go in the water.” She warned him, pointing, and he rolled his eyes.

“I won’t.” He said, but she didn’t like his tone.

“Promise me.” She repeated, and he huffed, but then looked up at her with serious eyes.

“I promise.” He said, and she nodded.

“I’m serious.” She added, and he smiled.

“I know, mom.” He said, and Gert scowled.

“And never call me mom again.” She added, and he laughed, pulling his shirt over his head and then taking off his pants. When he was down to his boxers, he hopped off the platform and stepped into the rain. He was soaked instantly. “And be careful.” She added, raising her voice to be heard over the rain, and he smiled goofily before turning to leave.

Gert smiled after him, but he wasn’t gone two minutes before she began to have this awful feeling that she should have gone with him. She didn’t know why. It wasn’t like he should be back yet, he probably wasn’t even all the way down the beach by that point, there was no need to worry. And yet… why was she suddenly so nervous? She didn’t know, but she was already thinking she shouldn’t have told him to go by himself… it had just been a suggestion to get his horny ass out of the shelter for a while, to cool down, and she was regretting it already.

But surely she was just being stupid. She just didn’t like it when he wasn’t there with her. That was it. She told herself she’d just become codependent. There was nothing to worry about. She repeated it over and over to herself as another minute or two passed slowly. But then, she wondered, _why was she so worried?_

 

 

 

 

The storm was _ripping_ as Chase slowly made his way down the beach. He’d never seen the waves like this, and the usual bright and happy turquoise waters had turned dark and grey and ominous. He squinted down the beach and tried to see if he could see the white floats of the fishing net, but with the white caps on the waves, it was impossible to tell, so he moved a little faster, wanting to get this over with, trotting the rest of the way to the end of the beach.

When he got there, it was still hard to tell what was going on out there. Chase pressed his hand to his forehead, trying to protect his eyes from the whipping rain as he peered out into the water. And _there!_ He spotted a float, and another, and _oh shit…_

The net was being ripped around by the waves and the current, and Chase felt instantly sure that at any second it would be pulled away from its anchors, and they’d lose the net for good. And he could _not_ let that happen. The thought of surviving out here without the nutrients and strength they gained from a (fairly) regular diet of fish, and knowing that even Eden was looking a little slim on the selection of ripe fruit these days… the loss of the net would mean starvation. And _he_ could handle it. For a few weeks at least. But the thought of Gert going through that… it made his blood run cold.

And so he didn’t really think about it, didn’t think about the promise he’d made to Gert or the danger to himself, and he began wading out towards the net, intending to grab it and pull it to shore. They wouldn’t have fish tomorrow, but they’d at least still have a net that way.

And it was stupid. It was a stupid, stupid plan. Well, it wasn’t a plan at all. Because he hadn’t been thinking. But it was a decision, and he’d made it. And he’d regret it for a long time to come. Because what came next would remain hazy in his memories forever. But he could remember flashes. Wading out and finding it hard to stay on his feet against the force of the waves. Ultimate relief as he wrapped his fingers around the net. Diving down to undo the knot attaching it to the anchor.

And that’s it. From there on, it was only blackness.

 

 

 

 

It had only taken Gert about four minutes of anxiously waiting before she decided to rip off her clothes and follow Chase down the beach. It wasn’t that she didn’t _trust_ him… it was just that she _knew_ him. And she knew he had no _intention_ to go into that water, but she also knew hew he was impulsive. Way too impulsive for his own good. And if that net looked like it was in danger… she hurried her steps.

Some way down the stretch of wet beach, Gert started shouting his name. “Chase!” She called. “CHASE!” Louder. She squinted and rubbed at her glasses trying to get a clear view, to spot him in the distance. But he was nowhere to be seen under rain that fell in sheets all around her. So she started running. _Where the hell was he?_

“Chase where are you, you idiot!?” She cried as she got to the end of the beach and he wasn’t there. _He wasn’t there._ Oh God, oh no, nononononono… “Chase!” She sobbed again, scanning the water, and turning her head to look up and down the beach. But he was nowhere.

And then something caught her eye. It was white and round, near the shore just a little closer to the rocks than she stood, and she ran over to it. It was the float for the net! But then, as she got closer… “Chase!” She choked in a sob as she dropped to her knees. He was tangled in the net, face down on the sand, getting pushed a little farther up every time the waves would come in. _And he wasn’t moving._

“Chase, baby! Baby wake up—“ She cried, desperately untangling him from the net and rolling him over. He was limp, and Gert swallowed back the rising bile in her throat as it constricted with fear. She shook him, trying to wake him up, but nothing happened. “Shit!” She spat, utterly terrified, but also _focused._ It was like a part of herself was detaching itself from the panic to give her the strength she needed to help him. So she took it, and she got up and summoned all her strength to pull him up onto the beach, away from the water. As she looked down at him, she noticed a cut on his forehead that was still bleeding and she forced herself not to break down.

To keep herself from shutting down, she focused on the things she knew. She knew that Chase had hit his head. She knew that he was unconscious. She knew that he had been tangled in the net. And she knew she’d found him face down, washed in by the waves.

The only logical assumption was that he had aspirated some water, though she determinedly did _not_ use the word ‘drowned’ in her head. To her, drowned meant _dead._ And she _refused_ to believe Chase was dead. He couldn’t be dead. He just couldn’t. Because if he was dead, then she might as well be too. Not only would she probably die out here on her own, but if she could somehow survive, she wouldn’t want to. She’d be better off dead. Because she loved him too much to bear the thought of a world without him.

She had to save him. _She had to save him._

So she thought back to first-aid class, and leaned over him, putting her cheek against his mouth. Feeling for air. He wasn’t breathing. _Fuck._ And then she checked his pulse and… _No._ But instead of shutting down, she shook her head in defiance, took a deep breath, and tried to remember the current correct way to do CPR. Was it two breaths and then twenty compressions? Or one breath and then five compressions? She had _no fucking clue_ , so she just started _trying._ Doing anything she could.

She tilted his head back and plugged his nose, sealing her lips around his and _blew_ , watching his chest rise as she did. Then she moved and she started compressions, wincing as she did, hoping not to feel his ribs crack because she’d heard that was pretty common in CPR. She did twenty compressions, because she was pretty sure that was right, and then leaned back down to administer another breath of air.

After three rounds, she was beginning to panic, but she forced herself to keep a steady pace. _He’ll make it, he’ll make it, he’ll make it, he’s strong, he’s strong, he’s strong,_ she told herself as she continued her compressions. And on the fourth breath, his eyes shot open and “CHASE!!!” she cried as he lurched up to cough up a very large amount of seawater. And Gert sobbed in relief, patting his back soothingly as he continued to cough for a few moments.

When he was finished, he flopped back onto his back and Gert hovered over him. He smiled up at her weakly, crookedly, apologetically… “I think I went out to get…” He started, his voice very hoarse.

“The net? Yeah, I can see that.” She replied sarcastically but softly, warmly, her voice full of love and relief and still thick with emotion.

“Please don’t kill me.” He croaked up at her, wincing, and she made a noise half between a laugh and a sob, and it was _all_ love.

“I just got finished saving you, you dummy.” She replied. “That would be little counter-productive.” She added, and he laughed, though it turned into a cough, and Gert felt her features pull in in worry.

“You saved me…” He whispered up at her, in awe, and Gert had never in her life been looked at in such a way. He had stars in his eyes, he looked at her like she was the sun and the moon, and it caused her breath to shutter in her throat.

“Of course I saved you. Who else would take care of me out here?” She asked, joking to lighten the heaviness of the moment, sniffing back her tears and smiling down at him, and he smiled back at her, despite the obvious pain he was in.

“Did I ever tell you how much I love you?” He asked dreamily, before his eyes fluttered shut, and Gert was left staring down at him. Shaken.

He _loved_ her?

 

 

 

It had been three days since what they were now referring to as the “net incident”, and Chase was still in awe at what Gert had done for him. First of all, she knew him well enough to know he’d be stupid enough to go after the net. And then she’d literally restarted his heart and breathed the life back into him… and if that wasn’t worthy of a life full of love and dedication from Chase, he didn’t know what was. He planned to spend the rest of his life at her side, doing everything he could to make her happy. It was his entire purpose now.

Well, supposing he survived long enough to take care of her forever, like he hoped to. Because he’d survived the almost-drowning, but he wasn’t out of the woods yet. He’d gotten very sick, after, and Gert was pretty sure it was pneumonia. And he wasn’t doing very well.

The hardest part wasn’t the pain when he’d try to breathe, or the endless coughing, or the weakness and malaise… the hardest part was seeing how it was tearing Gert apart. And knowing that all the work of keeping the camp together was up to her. He wanted to help more than anything, but since he’d woken up earlier that day, he was so weak he couldn’t even sit up anymore. And he knew that wasn’t good. And he knew _Gert_ knew that wasn’t good.

Sometimes she’d disappear for a little while at a time, and she’d come back with red, puffy eyes and he knew she was going off to cry alone, but she was trying to keep it from him. She wanted to keep a brave face around him, and he told her she didn’t have to, but then she’d get upset so he’d mostly leave it alone. It was sweet, anyways, though not necessary. He knew he must likely be dying. Or look like it, at least. And it would make him sad because he didn’t want to die, he didn’t want to leave Gert alone, and he didn’t want to miss out on all the plans they’d made since coming to this island.

This island that had possibly killed him. And yet he couldn’t bring himself to hate it, or to be upset with Nico, even _knowing_ how it all turned out. Because this place had brought he and Gert together. It had taken two people that were _so_ awkward, that had no idea how to communicate, and it made them a _team._ It made them a _them._

And even if he only got two or three weeks of that before he died, how could he ever regret that?

But he didn’t want to die. He didn’t. So he fought for every single breath, he swallowed every shell full of fish broth that Gert fed him, and he refused to give up. _He refused to give up._

 

 

 

Gert had told Chase she was going to check the fishing net. It was a beautiful calm day, and the water was almost still, so there was no danger. And she would check it. But mostly it was just another excuse to go cry by herself. He was getting worse by the minute, and she didn’t know if he’d even last the day, let alone however much time they needed to be rescued.

As was her habit, she stared out into the horizon, looking for boats, and blinked when she thought she saw a dot there. But then she took her glasses off and cleaned them with her fingers, and when she put them back on it was gone, so she sighed in disappointment, and she resigned herself to check the net. It was hard to do it alone, and took a lot of extra time, but if Chase was going to survive he needed strength, and she thought the fish broth she’d been making was about the only thing keeping him alive right now, so she had to keep her stock up.

She worked under the heat of the sun in the warm water, and about twenty minutes later, she was pulling the net up onto the sand. There were two fish caught in its web, flopping around, and Gert sighed. Two was better than nothing, she supposed.

She was just reaching forward to collect them, when she was knocked bodily sideways with a crash and all the air was blown out of her. “Oooof!” she’d reacted as she hit the ground, but it was all happening so fast she had no idea what was going on. There was no way this was Chase, not with his energy levels, so her mind instantly flashed to the next logical conclusion… _was there some sort of large predator on the island that they had somehow not run into by now?_ And then she froze… the smoke monster!

But it wasn’t any of those things. A second later, whatever hit her made this kind of echoey barking noise, somewhere between a dog and a whale, and she’d know that sound anywhere. Add that to the massive scaly nose that was poking into her neck and she shrieked with joy.

“LACE!!!!!” She cried, her tears from before returning, but this time from sheer, utter joy. _It was Old Lace!!!_ Which meant… she whipped her head around, sitting up, and looked for some sign of… and there they were.

There was a boat landing down the beach, and a whole bunch of dinosaur-shaped tracks in the sand, making a beeline from where it was landing to where she sat now, reaching up to hug her long, lost love.

Except Old Lace (and okay Molly too) wasn’t her only love, not anymore. And suddenly her mind flashed to Chase, slowly dying back in their shelter. And instead of sobbing in sadness, she felt the first lightness in her heart for days. She had _hope._ Finally she had _hope_ that he might be okay! And it was amazing what a little hope would do for downtrodden spirits.

Gert got to her feet as fast as she could, and started sprinting down the beach towards them, screaming their names as she did. “Nico! Molly! Alex! Karolina!” She shouted as she ran, laughing giddily from relief as she started to be able to make out their forms in the distance and… _yes!_ Nico had her staff in her hand, and Gert’s heart leapt for joy again.

Old Lace ran beside her, a much reduced pace for what she was capable of, and kept nudging her with her head as they went. But when they passed by the path to their camp, Lace froze, and looked up that way, then back at Gert, who had paused too. “Be gentle with him, he’s sick.” She told her pet Deinonychus, who exhaled in acknowledgment, and then turned and ran up the path, making Gert smile before she turned back and continued her sprint towards her friends who were now calling her name and running towards her as well.

The fastest runner was Molly, and she crashed into Gert with a force that knocked all of the air out of her, knocking her sideways and falling to ground just as Old Lace had done, and Gert croaked out “Molly!” as she did, and her sister squeezed her tight repeating her name over and over and over.

“We _found you!_ ” She cried at last, getting off of her, and Gert pulled herself up onto her feet and found her friends surrounding her, smiling widely. Well, most of them were smiling widely. Alex was looking at her like she was a ghost or something, with round shocked eyes, and… oh yeah… she was tanned and about fifteen pounds thinner than she’d been when she’d gotten here (not that weight was any kind of indicator of beauty)… and she was wearing nothing but a matching lacy red bra and underwear set. She supposed she didn’t blame him for staring. He probably wasn’t expecting that.

But Gert could care less about her body these days. Embarrassment to be seen like this wasn’t even on her top ten list of worries right now. She wanted to reunite with all of them, she wanted to hug and dance and hear their story, but right now she had one, exactly _one_ concern. And that was Chase.

“Nico—“ She started, and Nico winced.

“I know, I’m so—“

“Shut up and follow me!” Gert interrupted, not caring about her apology. She wasn’t even mad, she didn’t need to be apologized to. What she needed was _help._ She didn’t wait for a reply, she just turned and began to run up towards camp. And the rest of them followed.

 

 

 

 

Chase _must_ have moved on to the part of his illness where he was having hallucinations. Because he could _swear_ that was Old Lace coming up the beach towards him… and then she was snorting over him, poking him with her scaly nose, and he could feel the cool metal of her ring. And okay, this was a _really_ intense hallucination. Because there was no way this could be real… could it?

Real or not, he was happy to see his old dino-pal, so he used a large percentage of his energy stores to lift his hand and pet her, thinking how remarkably _real_ she seemed. He started coughing, then, and had closed his eyes as the world around him got dark, but then he felt a wave of panic. That darkness was intoxicating, inviting… and he wasn’t falling for that shit! He wasn’t going to take the easy way out, he wasn’t going to die, especially not without Gert here. He just wasn’t going to do it. So he held on for a second longer, a minute, however long he could possibly last.

For Gert.

And then he thought he heard voices, but that couldn’t be right. And was that Nico beside Gert? And behind them, was that the rest of them? _God,_ he hoped this wasn’t all just inside his head. And then maybe-Nico held her arm up, pointing her staff at him, and she spoke. “Make him healthy!” She said firmly.

And then Chase gasped, taking in the first deep breath he’d taken in days. And _Oh God_ it felt good.

 

 

 

“Baby!” Gert cried, falling down next to him and pulling him into a hug, crying into his neck and kissing him there.

“Baby?” Alex asked from behind her, but she ignored him.

“Gert—“ Chase replied, blinking up at her, a confused expression on his face. “Babe, I’m—I’m okay…” He said, checking himself over to make sure, patting his chest and tentatively sitting up. “I’m okay?” He asked, then his face split into a smile. “I’m okay!” He enthused, and Gert sniffed back the tears as she laughed in relief and pulled him to her.

“I thought you were going to die…” She said, and he pulled back just enough to look her in the eye and smile.

“You weren’t getting rid of me that easy.” He replied, and then Nico spoke from behind them.

“Well I had something to do with that…” She corrected, and Gert turned to look at her with a raised eyebrow.

“Oh really, you want to go there?” She asked, using her eyes to look from side to side, indicating the island they were on, reminding Nico that she was the entire reason they were stuck here to begin with all with one look, and Nico swallowed, so Gert turned back to Chase and smiled. “Their timing really couldn’t have been better.” She agreed, but then her face fell as she looked at him, and he looked back at her like she was his entire world, even though their friends were here, the only other people they’d seen in three weeks, he still only looked at her. “I never told you I love you back.” She whispered, not caring who heard but saying it quietly, just for him. And she watched as Chase took in a breath, a gasp, and his eyes seemed to shine as his lips pulled into a tight smile and his dimples showed.

“It’s okay,” He said, lifting his hand to softly caress her cheek. “I knew.” He said, and with that Gert let out a laugh and pulled him into her arms again. And after a long while, neither of them letting go, Alex interrupted.

“So I guess you guys are a thing now?” He asked, and Gert couldn’t help it, she let out a laugh, and then she couldn’t stop laughing, and then she was getting up to greet and hug each of her friends, and it was the happiest she’d thought she’d ever been as she watched Chase get up to join her. Strong again, healthy. _Alive._

 

 

 

 

Chase sat around the fire with Gert by his side and the rest of his friends sitting around, laughing, telling stories, and he didn’t know if he’d ever been happier. The gang had decided to stay the night, to camp out with them before taking the boat back to the mainland, which as it turned out, was a smaller island off the coast of Fiji.

“It took so long to find you because everyone with a boat refused to take us where the staff was pointing. They said there was no land in that direction at all, so it slowed us down by a few days. We ended up having to steal one.” Karolina explained, and beside him, Gert leaned forward.

“What do you mean there shouldn’t be land here? There’s land… we landed here.” She said, and Karolina shrugged.

“I think Nico’s staff _made_ the island for you.” Molly said, and Nico rolled her eyes.

“That’s impossible Molly. They must just have forgotten about this island.” Nico said, but Chase wasn’t so sure. The place had always felt kind of… magical. Not that it wasn’t real. It was very real, as were the dangers it presented. But it had always felt like this place had had a _purpose_. And if he was being realistic, it had been overly generous with the availability of food and water… and that grotto? _Come on._

“I don’t know, this place had it all. Could be magic.” He said, shrugging, then he smiled, draping his arm around Gert and pulling her tightly against his side. “It brought _us_ together.” He added brightly, and Gert snorted.

“ _Must_ have been magic then, eh?” She added sarcastically, but she laughed and looked up at him with those big brown eyes, and he melted.

“So you guys were just _all alone_ , this entire time? With no tv or music or anything?” Molly asked, making Chase laugh.

“Pretty much, Molls.” Gert replied, and the wide eyed look of wonder on Molly’s face was priceless.

“We’d pretty much guessed that, based on what Nico told us she’d said when you—when the staff—“ Karolina tried to explain, but Nico interrupted.

“When I was the biggest idiot ever and zapped Gert and Chase half way across the world and almost killed them?” Nico finished for her, and Karolina shrugged awkwardly and nodded her head.

“Yeah… that.” She said, and Chase laughed.

“It’s okay Nico, the almost dying part was totally my fault, anyways.” He said, trying to make her feel better, and beside him Gert nodded her head.

“He’s right, it was entirely his fault.” She agreed, and Chase laughed and hung his head a little in acknowledgement before looking back up at everyone.

“You know, I worried, when we were boating up to the island, knowing you guys had been stuck here for three weeks…” Alex started, and Chase shifted his eyes to him, then his friend laughed and smiled at him and Gert. “I thought you two had probably gone completely bonkers out here alone, and we’d find you talking to volleyballs and stuff.” He finished, and Chase barked a laugh.

Karolina’s eyes brightened and her smile widened as she nodded, looking around the campsite. “Yeah, where’s Wilson?” She asked, teasing, and they all laughed.

 

 

That night they all piled into the shelter and slept side by side, packed in like they’d been in the van those days before they’d found the hostel. And Chase had never felt so comforted. And he felt completely, utterly at ease. At home. Because home was where the heart was, and his heart was currently right beside him, curled against his body and softly snoring. And she was going to be just fine, because they were rescued, and they’d get to live the long life together that Chase had dreamed of when he was sick.

And that was the best feeling in the world. It was also comforting to know now in his heart that with all the uncertainty in their life as runaways, of never really knowing where they’d be sleeping that night, or where they would end up next, that no matter where he rested his head at night, he would always be at home. As long as he had Gert. And those other 4, and their pet guard-dinosaur weren’t all that bad either.

And with his last thoughts before he drifted off to join the others in dream land, Chase thought of how much he would miss this place. The island. The place that had brought her to him. And he smiled as he fell into a deep and peaceful slumber, surrounded by people that loved him. Friends that had crossed a globe for him, and the love of his life that had kept him alive when no one else in the world could have. And he had the most wonderful dreams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow... it's done! I spent four solid days ignoring the world, needing to write this story for some strange compelling reason, and I truly hope you enjoyed the fruits of my obsession lol! Thank you for reading, and I'd LOVE to hear what you thought! If you had any favourite parts, or thoughts or observations, or if you'd like to see more Gertchase fics, let me know :)
> 
> But let's be real... even if you don't want more I'm probably going to be writing it, I'm way too in love with these two precious teenagers :'D
> 
> Thanks for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!!! I hope you're enjoying it and excited for more because there is a LOT more story, and it's already written and just waiting to be edited and posted! But I'd love to hear what you think so far, and if you're looking forward to reading more!
> 
> And don't forget to check back in a few hours for the next chapter!


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